The Rising of the Commander
by MariaGuerinCullenWinchester
Summary: After they lost one of their own, Michael has to step up to his true nature to protect the ones he loves.
1. Chapter 1

The latest adventure from the pod squad was over, but not completely forgotten. The skins were still a threat, Khivar was there as well and Rath and Lonnie had been able to escape the attack from Tess, who had suffered a great deal when the dupes kidnapped her to kill Max. Isabel was trying to come to grasp with everything going on around her and Michael was ready to slip into the role he had been born into, even though he wasn´t exactly sure how he should manage that. His powers were still slightly out of control and more than just a little dangerous for innocent bystanders.

Liz was after - the Max caught me with my ex boyfriend in bed - fiasco more than reluctant to participate in the - I know an alien - meetings usually held at Michael´s place. Although she had been the one saving Max in New York via her freaky connection with him it was still strained between them. So she was the only one not willing to be present when the Pod Squad called a gathering.

Alex and Isabel were already seated on the old smelly couch, clearly not in the least pleased to have cut their date short for this get together when Max and Maria came through the door, making the group complete, seeing as Jim was working, Tess and Kyle said something about training, which was probably just an excuse to make out somewhere else.

Maria slumped on the ground, visibly showing that she would rather elsewhere than here at this place of so many bad memories. Crossing her arms over her chest she glared at Michael, she almost burnt him with her eyes. " Okay, can we start? I´ve got better things to do".

" Feel free to leave if you want. Nobody asked you to come", Michael was fed up with her mood swings. This morning everything was fine, they had been heavy into a make out session in the eraser room and then bam she got pissed at him. The worst was, he didn´t know why and she wouldn´t tell him.

Maria was in the process to stand up when Isabel grasped her arm and pushed her down. She was so sick of seeing them fight because of little things every time they were together. It was slowly driving everyone crazy and it wouldn´t take long before someone snapped. " Could you both stop that. We don´t have time for your weird bickering fetish".

Max, like usual the peace maker, stepped in between before his friend could open his big fat mouth and make the situation worse. " We can´t start. We have to wait for Courtney, she´s the one calling the meeting".

" And that´s my cue to leave. Excuse me when I don´t trust her like the rest of you", Maria took her purse and jumped to her feet, this time not letting herself get held up from her intention. She didn´t want to be in the same room with the girl that was the reason for her bad mood. As much as it pained her to admit, she didn´t feel comfortable with someone that would take away her spaceboy without any problems.

Alex instantly put himself in her path, knowing that his friend had issues with Courtney hitting on her boyfriend repeatedly. But he had a feeling that she had to be here to hear what the alien girl had to say. " Don´t go. I know you don´t like Courtney, but she´s not our enemy".

Maria was two seconds away from saying that she was maybe not their enemy, but she wasn´t a friend either. Thankfully she bit her tongue before that could escape, she didn´t want to appear like a jealous girlfriend, which she was of course, but wouldn´t admit that openly, especially with everyone present. " I don´t care about that. I don´t want to be in close proximity with that girl, alright. I´ll visit Liz and keep her company".

" Let her go if she doesn´t want to be here. We don´t need her", Michael didn´t understand the aversion between the two girls, and hell if he wanted to find that out. But Courtney had answers he was seeking, she could help him figure a lot of things out. On the other hand he didn´t want to hurt Maria with choosing his needs over hers.

Maria glared at him, covering up how deeply that sentence had cut into her. Clenching her teeth she reminded herself that she had promised herself never to cry in front of him. Ignoring her other friends she stormed past everyone else without saying goodbye and slammed the door shut on her way out.

Alex whirled around angrily, having finally reached his compassion limit with the bad tempered alien boy. He didn´t care that he was just human and that he didn´t have any muscles that could help him, but he wouldn´t hesitate to slug Michael again. " Could you be more of an asshole? I don´t know why she puts up with you over and over again. You´re obviously not worth it".

" Alex! How can you say that?", Isabel quickly jumped to her almost brother´s defense, knowing how much he was caring for Maria but couldn´t express it. She had spent a not so great summer with him and the only body contact they had with each other was the patting of a shoulder and not more. The guy was so far gone for the human girl that he didn´t even notice it himself.

Michael pushed himself away from his spot at the doorframe and went to the lanky teen to give him a piece of his mind. He wasn´t as bad as the other boy wanted him to be, he was just different than Max or any other male on this planet. " Yeah Whitman, come on let everything out. I want to hear what you still have to say about me".

Alex swallowed visibly, knowing that was a bad sign to piss the alien boy off when he just had a fight with Maria. But he had seen the tears glistening in his friends eyes and he hadn´t though before opening his mouth. Now he regretted that the anger seemed to be directed at him at this moment. " I was just saying that you should keep yourself back a little. Maria is like a sister for me and I don´t want to see her getting crushed under you. She´s worth more than that".

" Guys stop it. I don´t want to hear anything from you today. I have a headache that´s almost killing me and I can´t stand to have this tension among us", Isabel didn´t know why there was this pounding in her head, because they never got sick. But this pain was slowly driving her crazy and she was afraid to take some pain killer in case she would react strangely.

Alex instantly shut up and went to her to massage the back of her neck, trying to make it better for her. And he showed that bad tempered alien boy that he was the mature one of them. At least to the point where he had to prevent himself from sticking his tongue out at the other boy. " So what are we waiting for anyway? Is there a new crisis?".

Max glanced at Michael, knowing that his friend was more in the known than anyone in this room. Nobody was sure why there were here in the first place and if it was as serious as it had sounded. " Yeah, I want to know that as well?".

" I don´t know more than you. I just got a call from Courtney. She told me to get everyone together because she had something serious to talk about, that´s all", Michael shrugged his shoulders, wondering why everyone assumed that he would know more than them. He was just as in the dark about this meeting and curious as hell.

Max nodded while he decided to get something to drink from the fridge while they were waiting for the skin to arrive. Rummaging around he found some Snapple and some strange salad, which meant that Maria had been over not long ago. He hoped that she wasn´t too hurt from Michael´s gruff nature. She should be used to him by now and not taking everything too serious. Feeling someone behind him he immediately sensed who it was. " Do you think we´ll get better someday?".

Michael was stunned about the question, not in the least sure what his friend was yakking about. There were so many things he wanted to be better, one of those things was to be whatever Maria wanted him to be and not make her sad all the time. But he was sure that wasn´t even the question at all. " Better at what?".

" Relationships and to never fuck them up".

Michael almost swallowed his own tongue at hearing his best friend swearing like that. The guy never took such bad words in his mouth. The hit from Liz with cheating on him must have been deeper than anyone thought. " With our luck we make the same mistakes over and over again".

Max turned around, giving his friend a snapple as well and shaking his head. He didn´t want to live in this constant struggle with his alien nature and his human life. He just wanted to be normal. Even though Liz had hurt him really bad, he still wished that she would find her way back to him in the end. " That´s a sad thought".

" That´s the truth my friend", Michael patted his friends shoulder, knowing that they would never figure out how a women´s mind worked, especially those from human girls. Maria was even worse than any women on this planet. She was unpredictable and stubborn and loved to drive him insane.

Max didn´t want to believe that, he hoped that one day they would find a way to be the one for their beloved ones. Someday Liz would realize that she still loved him and that he could forgive her small mistake. " I hope not".

Michael had pity with his friend. If he would have found Maria with another boy in her bed, he would have destroyed Roswell. Well after he would have ripped the guy having dared to put his hands on his girl into pieces, slowly and painfully. But thankfully she was just difficult and not unfaithful. " Maybe we´ll be dead before we find that out".

" Ha ha", Max wondered why Michael was such a pessimist in some things. Granted the guy didn´t have the best childhood and nobody had ever really cared about his future, but Max thought that it had changed when Maria came into his life and made him realize that they were still people caring for him.

Michael took a big gulp from the bottle while he made an attempt to avoid any further confession of their feelings. He didn´t want to share his "emotions" with another man, that was just plain wrong. Sensing someone in front of his apartment he was relieved to have an excuse to leave. Hurrying past the others he opened his door before their host was able to knock. " Finally. What took you so long".

Courtney was slightly taken aback from his rude behavior, realizing the reason why Maria always complained to her best friend about him. He wasn´t someone that had managed to adapt to the human manners at all, which was funny because Rath had been like that on Antar as well. " Hello to you, too. Can I come in or do I have to use some codeword to get permission to enter".

" Get in, we´re already waiting for you", Michael didn´t waste any time with pleasantries, especially when he had reason to not to trust someone. Even though she had taken a lot of risk to help them, there was still some feeling that she had a hidden agenda and he would keep an eye on her.

Courtney rolled her eyes, for once having a spark of sympathy with the human girl always putting up with his moods. It was like Russian roulette with him, every day could be the day he would blow up. " Nice to see that your social skilled are still seriously challenged", walking towards the other people in the room she instantly saw that there were a lot of them missing. She didn´t like that fact. " Where are the others of your club?".

Michael took his stance at the kitchen counter again, the best place to keep an eye on her in case she tried something and it was still near enough her to stop her. He was confused why he was thinking like that, but he didn´t question it either. " Sheriff Valenti has to work, Tess and Kyle probably make out somewhere, Liz isn´t exactly comfortable with someone who should not be named and so she´s skipping all meetings and Maria is keeping her friend company".

" Are you mentally deranged? You´re enemies are close and you leave those humans without protection? What are you thinking?", Courtney couldn´t understand how that guy could be so clueless about these things. He had been one of the greatest and most feared leaders on their planet. He had never left his family or his charges without someone to guard them.

Max finally got to his feet after hearing that. He didn´t want anything to happen the others, especially when he could avoid it. " What do you mean? Do you think they´re in danger?".

Courtney refrained herself from groaning at the guy, knowing that he was just a stupid teenage boy barely tapping in his powers. But at some point he had been a good king, not the smartest but he had been good to his people. " Hello! Where have you been the last few months? Of course they´re in danger. Don´t you think Khivar won´t use them against you. He´s not stupid and he will use every advantage he can get".

" Then we have to get them. Immediately", Michael was already in gear and ready to blast anyone standing in his way to get to the Crash Down. The thought that someone could use Maria to hurt him wasn´t exactly sitting well with him. He didn´t want to know what he would do should something happen to her, he just knew it wouldn´t be pretty for anyone present.

Max was already pulling out his cellphone, dialing the familiar number from the Crash Down. A few seconds it was ringing while everyone was standing around him and waited for the voice of Liz or Maria to appear. Unfortunately the voice they heard was not the one they expected.

" _Valenti"._

Max´s heart was lurching and he was feeling the first sign of a panic attack coming on. A terrible treat was spreading in his guts and he hated to feel like that. Something had been going horrible wrong or else Jim Valenti wouldn´t be the one on the phone right now. " Sheriff, it´s Max. What happened?".

A slight shuffling was heard, making it apparent that the older man tried to find a place he could talk freely, without his staff listening to the strange things he would be talking about in the next few minutes.

" _An alien attack. I can´t tell you more on the phone. You should get here as fast as possible. I will explain everything then"._

Michael was instantly on his way out the door when he heard the word alien attack. Isabel and Alex immediately followed after him while Max and Courtney were still in some kinda shock about everything. The only thing they managed was to shut the cell phone and then to trail after their friends.

Three red traffic lights, some honking and an almost collision with another car the friends all arrived at the crime scene. The whole main street was filled with people, parked cars and emergency vehicles. Everyone fought his way through all the spectators to see the damage for themselves. Stopping shocked at the barrier the police had wrapped around the Crash Down they had to blink for a moment to make sure they were seeing right. The front window from the restaurant was smashed and just barely there anymore, the chairs and tables were either lying on the floor or broken to a lot of pieces. Even from afar they could see the blood smeared at a few places and still clinging to some glass splinters on the ground. But the worst was the black body bag that two men were carrying outside.

The friends held their breath, wondering who was in there, to which one of their small family they had to say goodbye forever.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Hells Bells**

Sheriff Valenti had seen about everything at this point in his career, especially since the moment he found out that real living aliens were among them and they weren´t that nasty creature from the movies either. But this crime scene was worse than anything he had to ever witness. When he arrived, after he got a frantic call from his son, he had been shocked from the picture that had been in front of him. Maria was lying in a heap of glass splinters outside the Crash Down, obviously having been flung through the front window. His son was sitting on the ground, holding his right arm at a strange angle while Tess was taking care of bleeding head wound. Jeff Parker had been lying behind the counter, the only thing visible from him had been his feet sticking out. He instantly had called an ambulance, for the wounded and a coroner for the dead person. It had been a hard blow to see two men carrying the bag outside.

Rubbing his forehead Jim was so tired of his job right now. He had never really grasped the fact that evil aliens have landed on earth to kill his children. But after this night he couldn´t ignore the fact that they were in a war and the first victim had been counted. Looking around the people lurking to see the action he finally spotted the group of teenager under his care.

Walking towards them he immediately saw the devastation in their glance as soon as the black bag was put in the car. A weeping Diane Parker was walking behind the coroners, her eyes never leaving the body. Her arms were tightly wrapped around herself. Jim quickly realized the kids feared to hear who it was. " Hey", he pulled the barrier up so that everyone of them could walk through it. " come with me".

" Who was that? Liz?", Max was afraid to hear the truth and afraid not to know it. But he was sure that he wouldn´t be able to handle if something had happened to her while they had been apart and slightly angry at each other. He didn´t want it to end their friendship like that and not at this moment in their life.

Valenti didn´t stop and didn´t turn around. He kept his pace until they were finally at the two ambulances where Kyle was sitting, his arm in a sling and a bandage across his left eyebrow. Tess was besides him, looking a little green around her nose. But after what she had seen, that wasn´t such a surprise. Besides she was having sympathy pains with her boyfriend, who seemed to be a little dazed from the pain killers one of the paramedics had injected in his arm.

" Thank god you´re here", Tess jumped from the car and headed towards her friends, glad to see that everyone was alive. She had been worried that the skins attacking them would target the others as well. She was relieved to know that she had been wrong.

Michael wasn´t sure what they were doing there and why he wasn´t in the Crash Down, trying to find a trace of the skin that had done that. He wanted to have a reason to punch someone for making him worry and maybe for killing someone he loved. Glancing around he was searching for Maria, still afraid that it would have been her in that bag. " Where are the others?".

In that moment they all heard a familiar voice cutting into their depressive mood. " Would you stop that! That hurts, you moron. Can you be a little more sensitive the wrist is already broken!".

Michael was gone in a flash, sprinting across the small distance between the two ambulances in the direction of the next open vehicle, where he saw Maria lying on a stretcher getting treated from a paramedic. Jumping inside he almost pushed the poor guy out of his way to get to his girlfriend. Stopping at her side he gasped slightly when he saw the many scratches on her face and the other parts he could see, knowing instantly that she had been the one flying through the window. But he was so relieved to see her alive that he overlooked the injuries. " Don´t do that to me ever again".

" What are you doing here?", Maria wouldn´t admit it, but she was so glad that he was at her side, even though she was a little taken aback at the way his eyes got glassy all of the sudden. She wasn´t used to this version of him.

Michael took a seat on her other side while he grasped her good hand, trying hard to blink back his tears. Now that the tension and the fear was gone, he realized how close it had been to losing her and he never wanted to experience such a feeling ever again. From now on she wasn´t leaving his side. " What do you mean? Where should I be?".

Maria hissed when the paramedic twisted her paining wrist again, making her bite her tongue to prevent herself from screaming. Glaring at the young man she wished she would be able to kick him where it would hurt him the most. " That was the second time. One more and I will knock you out".

" I´m sorry, but you´re not making it easy for me with not holding still", the paramedic complained, almost sweating bullet with the difficult patient. His first day in the emergency unit and he was already in the middle of the biggest crime the city had ever seen.

Michael growled angrily while his hand grasped the collar of the man over the head from Maria and the glare directed at the other male was deadly. He had no humor when it came to this girl and someone not treating her right. " You´re hurting her again I will rip your head off, okay!".

Maria smiled smugly at the paramedic. Patting Michael´s stomach, she motioned for him to sit down again. For once he didn´t make a fuss for getting ordered around from her and she was stunned about that change. " Easy. I still need him".

" For what? For breaking your other wrist", Michael glowered at the other man, watching him like a hawk and waiting for a small wince from Maria so that he could take his dark feelings out on someone.

Maria pushed the blanket a little aside to show him her right leg, which had a huge glass splinter sticking out of the flesh. Blood was still pumping out of the wound, soaking the bandage around it. Thankfully they already gave her something for the pain or she would have screamed the whole town down. " No for this".

Michael shook his head, not wanting to know in how much pain she had to be right now. The only thing he really wanted to know was what had happened and who had to pay for this. He wouldn´t rest until he found out who was responsible for this destruction. " I´m so sorry. It´s my fault".

" Don´t. It´s actually my fault. I didn´t react on time and the guy caught me unprepared. I should have run, but all I did was standing there, shocked and paralyzed", Maria squeezed his hand, which had found its way in hers again. She couldn´t blame her spaceboy because she was human and defenseless or for the situation at all. She promised as soon as she was better she would take Self defense lessons and maybe learn to handle a weapon.

Michael kissed her knuckles, thanking whoever was looking over her for keeping her alive. For a moment his heart had stopped beating when he had thought that she was the one in the black bag. " I will never leave your side again. From now on we´re joined at the hip".

Maria was just in the process to ask if that was a treat or a promise when she saw Kyle, Tess, Courtney, Max, Isabel, Alex and Jim standing at the open doors of the ambulance staring at her like she was a freak. Winking at the other who haven´t been there when hell broke loose, her gaze lingered on her hopefully not so soon step brother and she felt bad. " Sorry Kyle. I hadn´t meant to hurt you".

" It´s okay, I shouldn´t have sneaked up on you while you were armed", Kyle smiled reassuringly, knowing that the injury hadn´t inflicted intentionally or he would have been very pissed at her otherwise. But accidents happened when you were in action and especially when you were fighting evil aliens.

Jim saw the many confused glances and he was sure that the kids wanted to know what had been going on in the Crash down. Unfortunately they couldn´t ask their questions because of the paramedic that was still present. Motioning the young guy to him, he used his authority as Sheriff to clear the spot from prying ears. " Could you leave for a few minutes. I have a few questions for the young woman. I will get you when we´re done".

Michael was grateful as soon as the stupid paramedic was gone and the others piled in the car. Well as much as it was possible anyway. Jim and Courtney stayed outside and listened from there. " Okay now I want to know what happened".

" Alright. I came to Liz, very much in a bad mood. She was in the process to clean the restaurant to close it for the night. I helped her so that we could still spend some time together before she had to go to bed. But then everything went so quickly, I just remember that the backdoor was flung open and six or seven skins walked inside, pointing their hands in our direction. I took Liz and ran with her to the door. Unfortunately they blocked it somehow and so we were trapped. There was this boy, the one you thought you had killed and your dupe Michael. They said something about Khivar sending them to get the leverage and you know me I couldn´t stop my mouth. The next thing I felt was the impact with the floor behind the counter. When I stood up I saw the baseball bat that a boy had forgotten and took it. I don´t know how I managed it but I was able to kill two of the skins trying to take away Liz. In my adrenaline rush I didn´t notice someone behind me until it was too late. Then I can´t remember anything, because I blacked out after I flew through the window", Maria tried to recall everything that could be of importance, but she hadn´t been conscious for the rest. She just came around when they pulled her in the ambulance.

Kyle carefully patted the bandage around his soon to be turning black eye. Yeah it had a hell of a fight and they barely managed to keep alive throughout the whole thing. Thankfully Maria had been able to reduce their numbers or else they probably would have been killed. " That´s when it got worse. This small dude and the Michael lookalike retard had knocked Liz out and where trying to drag her out the back when Mr. Parker came down, warning that he was armed and had called the police. He saw his daughter in the arms of those guys and he tried to help her. Unfortunately he didn´t make it".

Everybody dropped their glances for a moment, realizing that Jeff Parker had been in that black body bag. Max felt guilty, because his was so glad that it hadn´t been Liz and Tess felt guilty because she hadn´t been able to save that life. She had been so occupied with preventing Nicholas and Rath from taking Liz that she hadn´t realized anything else.

" Wait. If that hadn´t been Liz, where is she now?", Michael hadn´t noticed it before, but now that he knew that it hadn´t been one of their own being dead, he recognized that their number had been ceased. He was fearing for the worst and as soon as he saw the crestfallen expression on Kyle and Tess´ faces, he knew that his instincts were correct.

Kyle exchanged a glance with his girlfriend, trying to tell her that she should be the one telling them about their current problem. She was at least able to dodge whatever the former alien king would send his way. But Tess was strangely tongue tied as well, which left him no other option than to be the messenger of the bad news while making a manly attempt to hide behind his girl. " The skins have her".

Max instantly reacted on the information, putting his face in his hands and shaking it. He couldn´t believe that their enemy had her now and was doing god knows what with her to torment him. He shouldn´t have let her push him away, even if she wasn´t in love with him anymore. He should have realized that his enemies would know his weak spot and use it against him.

" Then what are we still doing here. We should make a plan to get her back", Maria hadn´t known anything about her best friend and she felt bad because she hadn´t thought about her at all, too busy with her own pain. But now she was ready to get in action, even though knowing that she wasn´t exactly in shape to do that.

Michael felt sympathy towards his brother and he was sure that in the same situation he would have already jumped on his bike to tear Roswell apart in his haste to find Maria. But he couldn´t let the girl out of his sight, not at this point, not when he knew that Khivar was aware of his love for her. " Max, I know that you always try to be human and I accepted that. But now you can´t just ignore the fact that we´re not human. We have to step up to our roles".

Max looked up at his friend, seeing the truth in the other man´s eyes. He understood now what had driven Michael to work so hard on his powers while he had tried to hide the fact that he wasn´t exactly a normal teenager. They couldn´t sit on their asses and let everything come their way anymore. They had to take action when they wanted to save those they loved. " You´re right. It´s time we stop pretending".

" Excuse me when I interrupt this melodramatic moment. But I don´t think we have to worry about Liz right this moment", Courtney couldn´t listen any longer, considering the news she had been getting from a very resourceful person working for her. The news she had wanted to share with the others before everything broke out in chaos.

Isabel instantly wrapped her arms around Max to prevent him from attacking the blonde skin. Even Alex had to use the little strength he was possessing to keep a hold of the alien leader, which was harder to manage than it appeared. But it was strangely the Sheriff stepping in that disarmed the whole situation. " Stop that. Let her explain, I´m sure she didn´t meant it like it sounded".

Courtney had flinched for a moment, knowing that pissing of Max wasn´t such a smart idea. Even if the King wasn´t such a force to be recommended with like Rath had been, he could be pretty powerful when he was angry. " Thanks Jim. I´m not dismissing Liz or her safety, I like the girl. But I know from a friend of mine that they had planned something like that, even though I didn´t when or I would have told you sooner about it. Unfortunately they made a mistake, which means they will not harm Liz, not yet at least".

" What do you mean with that?", Tess was confused and judging after the many clueless faces she wasn´t the only one. What was the other girl talking about? And what mistake could they have done? Nicholas and Rath were known for their thoroughness in such things, they wouldn´t just leave the place if something went wrong.

Courtney felt like a teacher, trying to get something across to her students and not managing it. Okay she was sure that they were still in shock, but she didn´t want to point something out that was more than obvious in her opinion. " They have the wrong girl".

The others needed a second to get the drift, instantly realizing that not Liz had been the target, but someone else. Almost simultaneously they all glanced at Maria, who was slightly taken aback from the attention. Then she finally figured it out as well. They had wanted her.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Die another day**

Maria was more than just scared about that revelation that those monsters could be coming back for her and maybe not just harm her but her mother as well. Amy wouldn´t even know why these men were after her daughter in the first place, thinking they were rapists or burglars. Her mother would probably try to protect her without knowing that she was attacking aliens with more strength than she was used to. Maria couldn´t let that happen, not like this and not with her mom as a victim in the middle. It was bad enough that her best friend was missing, she couldn´t bear another one. Looking around, she didn´t want to be the reason that anyone of them would be getting hurt or killed. They all meant a lot to her, each one of them.

Michael saw her crying and he was instantly alarmed. Cupping her face he recognized that she was scared. Wiping the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs, he felt his heart breaking at her sight. " Don´t worry. They won´t get to you. I promise I will protect you with my life".

" That´s not it. I can´t bear the thought of someone getting killed, because I´m too weak to defend myself", Maria wouldn´t survive the guilt of losing someone because of her. She would rather take herself out of the picture than being a token in this deadly game Khivar was playing with them.

Michael snorted amused about her description of herself. She was just a human without any special powers and she had killed two skins with just a baseball bat. That didn´t make her weak in his opinion. Crazy and reckless, but not weak. " Please, you just survived an alien attack. You´re anything but weak".

Maria glanced at him and saw the pride in his gaze. But that didn´t make her any less scared for him. He was just a boy, trying to find his way into this world while Khivar was at least fifty years older with much more experience and Rath at his side, who was clearly remembering more from his old life. " I was lucky and stupid. Besides I couldn´t keep them from taking Liz".

" Yeah because you were unconscious at the time. Don´t beat yourself up about it. You did great", Tess patted her good leg, startling everyone else in and out of the ambulance with the uncharacteristic gesture and the kind words, even though the small blonde alien girl was in the process to make amends with the human girls.

Alex, having been quiet throughout everything, felt like they were missing something, besides the obvious. But there was something that didn´t exactly catch up with the things they were getting told. He wasn´t so sure if it was just his paranoia kicking in or the aliens had finally managed to drive him crazy, but something was totally wrong at the picture. " Okay wait for a moment. Why did they take Liz when they wanted Maria? I mean Rath and that boy know how she looks like. So why did they make this mistake?".

Max nodded in agreement, having thought about the same thing a few minutes earlier. Why would they even want Maria in the first place? They had more in their hands if they took Liz, which they had done. " It wasn´t a mistake. They would need Liz if they want to bargain with me about the Granolith".

" Oh this isn´t about you, your highness", Courtney spat angrily at him, just seconds away from whipping his ass across the main street and back. Now she remembered why she had been following Rath in his past life. He was at least not trapped with his head in his own ass. " They´re not attacking you yet. They want to get Michael out of the picture first".

Michael wasn´t exactly sure that he was quite understanding what they were talking about. Why would they start with him and not Max? He was just second in command and not that important, at least according the little he knew about royalty. " But why me?".

Courtney sighed, slightly annoyed at being the one to have to explain every detail, which they already should know about. It was hard to see them all so young and inexperienced while their enemies were getting stronger and stronger every day. But if she wanted to prevent history from repeating itself, she had to train them. " Because you´re the protector. If they want to harm the king they have to get through you and believe me, the last thing they want is to attack you frontal".

" But they already did that by hurting my family".

Courtney shook his head in denial, knowing if Michael would have been less powerful they would have already killed him. But Khivar and his men had done their homework. They were smart not to hit him directly, because that would be their death sentence. Every wound that had been inflicted on Rath in his past life had just made him angrier, like adding fuel to a fire. " But they didn´t target you directly. They target the people you care most about. And that´s Maria at the moment".

Maria didn´t like the sound of that, she didn´t want to be the one making Michael weak. She finally understood what he was trying to tell her all those years about not being safe. He had broken up with her time and time again to keep her out of the danger. But she hadn´t wanted to listen and now she was in the middle of a battle between good and bad. " You were right Michael, it is dangerous. But not you´re the danger here, it´s me".

" Don´t say that", if anyone was responsible for this mess than it was Max, Isabel, Tess and him. The humans were just the innocents caught in their shit. Nasedo had been right all along, they shouldn´t have gotten involved with them, it was just too dangerous for them. But now it was too late and they had to live with the consequences.

Maria gazed at him and saw the struggle inside of him. He needed to be close to her to protect her, but at the same time he wished he could be as far away from her as possible so that nobody would target her anymore. She wished he would finally stop with taking everything on his shoulders. She knew what she was getting into when she realized that evil aliens were after him and her friends. It hadn´t been his decision to keep her at his side, it had been hers. " Okay, so what are we doing about Liz now? We can´t just sit around and do nothing"

Jim glanced to the side and he saw the paramedic glaring at him. Damn, it was time to put a cap on it for this evening. The people around them wanted to go home as well and they wouldn´t take it too lightly to wait any longer. " I think we will discuss this later. We´ll meet at my house in an hour".

" Oh that´s so not fair. You just want to keep me out of the action", Maria huffed annoyed and tried to cross her arms over her chest. Unfortunately her hand was in a cast and more bulky than she was used to. Wincing at the small pain shooting in her arm she at least made an attempt to look menacing.

Michael´s gaze flickered to her in a flash, his expression looking bad like she just confessed a crime. He took her face in his hands and his eyes blazed angrily at her. But the anger wasn´t directed at her this time, it was more at her way of dealing with the situation. She was hurt and evil aliens were after her and she wasn´t taking that serious. " You are out of the action. I´ll make sure that you´re safe. The only thing you are doing is resting and getting well again".

Maria hated to feel useless and she wanted to do something to get her best friend back, considering that she hadn´t been able to save Liz´ father. But she knew that Michael would just worry about her and she didn´t want to make it worse for him. " Fine. But I want to know what´s going on all the time".

" You got the inside scoop every hour", Alex promised, this once backing up Michael in his need to keep her out of that. She was the one they wanted and they had to do everything to protect her. He already lost one of his best friends, he wasn´t quite ready to lose another.

The others smiled at Maria while they piled out of the ambulance, telling her that they would visit her as soon as possible. Courtney promised to talk to some of her companions about guarding the human girl and Jim had already called some deputies to stand guard at the hospital.

Maria was a little relieved when everyone had left, the injection was making her tired now. Closing her eyes she saw the pictures from that evening playing over and over again in her mind. The screams, the pain and the fear was so clear that she thought she was still in the Crash Down. The only thing different was the hand caressing her face and the safe feeling that Michael was giving her. At some point she fell asleep, thankfully without any nightmares.

" Don´t worry, nobody will come near you. We will find whoever had done this and they will pay for it. I promise", Michael whispered while he watched her sleep. He wouldn´t rest until he would find the one having hurt his girl and he would kill him with his bare hands.

**Abandoned Warehouse somewhere in the desert**

Rath was more than just pissed, there wasn´t even a word that could describe the feeling inside him. They had planned everything into the last detail, had timed their attack into the last second. And now the whole thing had blown up in their faces. They had come for his dupe's blonde bitch, but they got the brunette one instead. Like she was of any use for them. Max would be easy to get out of their way. They just needed something against Michael and the kings bitch wouldn´t get them anywhere with him. Seeing Lonnie bearing down fast on him, he was sure that she would be just as delighted about their catch then him.

" Before you start ripping us apart, I have to tell you that we know we have the wrong girl".

Lonnie barely spared the brunette a glance. She had other problems at the moment and that was a pissed off King, who complained that just dumbasses and morons were working for him. " Can´t you do anything right. Khivar isn´t exactly thrilled that you failed. He wants to see you and Nyko immediately".

Rath turned around and noticed that the girl was already in the process to wake up again. Nodding at one of his men he motioned for him to get her into her new quarters. Then he and Nyko made their way to their leader, not exactly in the mood to hear that they had screwed up.

Khivar was standing in front of the wall of shame, which was actually just a bulletin board with pictures of the royal four and how they looked like in this life. Their whole life was on this board. One side was just about their school, the people they hung out and the things they did after school. Their parents and their friends were pinned there as well. Even their activities and their habits had a nice place. Everything that could be of use for them was written on the board. Unfortunately his men were too dumb to take instructions. Hearing footsteps coming closer he glanced behind him to make sure that it were the people he wanted to see before he turned around with his body, too.

" So, I heard you brought the wrong girl. How did that happen?".

Nyko hung his head in defeat, feeling bad for failing his king. He had always done what he could for his leader, more than was expected. But since these royal retards were in the picture, nothing was going like he wanted it. " The blonde girl was stronger than we thought. She killed two of our men. We had to act fast to stick to our plan. Unfortunately we didn´t expect that Ava and three other humans would interrupt us. We had to make a decision quickly and thought that maybe we could use Zan´s girl as a trade".

Khivar glared at his two best soldiers. He had counted on them to be better than anyone else. But now he thought that he maybe overestimated them. They were good with their powers, but they lacked intellectual. " And what are we doing with her? The other Rath has no ties to her, he won´t risk his life or that of his mate for her".

" Yeah, but Zan would want his mate back and he will do everything in his powers to save her. My dupe feels very protective over his family and so he won´t let his brother go alone, which gets him in a difficult position. Leave his brother or leave his mate. Maybe if we attack the royals and the human girl in turns we can break him", Rath felt smug for coming up with a new plan so shortly after they had screwed up and it didn´t sound like it would be a bad plan either.

Khivar mulled that over, thinking about the advantages of this suggestion. He had to admit that this plan didn´t seem so bad. They wouldn´t even have to kill anyone yet, just get them scared a lot and see where it would lead them. And he didn´t even have to do anything at all, only relax and watch the drama unfold in front of his eyes. " Rath, you just saved your neck. But I hope you´re not failing again, because the next time I will kill you myself".

Rath swallowed visibly, knowing that he had to be better or else he would be losing his head, literally. Nodding in agreement he whirled around and walked out, relieved to be done with this talk. Seeing Lonnie already waiting for him, he marched in her direction. He needed her help. " Hey, can you locate your dupe?".

" Hell yeah. Why you´re asking?", Lonnie had thought about a little action after they had been apart for so long. But after she saw the dangerous twinkle in her lover´s eyes, she was curious what he was planning.

Rath made sure that Nyko was there with them, too. They had to play together for this one and he needed to make sure that they were all on the same page. " You and Nyko are stirring up a little trouble in Roswell. Get my dupe to leave his bitch".

Lonnie rubbed her hands together in glee, having waited so long to cause a little mess with their dupes. She was so ecstatic that she almost came in her pants on the spot. Finally something to do, aside from sitting on her ass and watching the world pass her by. " Epic", she smiled at being able to use her powers again. But then she wondered what Rath would do in this plan. " What about you? What are you doing?".

" I will pay a visit to the blonde human girl. Maybe I can convince her to change sides".

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**Not gonna get us**

Michael sat besides the hospital bed from Maria, watching her sleep off the meds they had given her when they had pulled the glass splinter out of her leg. Now her right thigh was in a huge bandage and it seemed to look like she would have to walk on crutches for the next few weeks. But at least she was alive and with him, that was more than Max could say at the moment.

The others hopefully had something planned by now, so that they could finally do something instead of sitting around and waiting for them to attack again. He didn´t want the same happening again, not as long as he was breathing. It was bad enough already that Liz was gone and Maria was hurt, he didn´t want to see someone die the next time.

Glancing at Maria he was afraid it could be her to get the end of the stick. If what Courtney said had been true, his pixie was in more danger than anyone else. They wanted to pick a fight with him and they were smart, because they found the only weak spot from him. He wasn´t sure what he would do if the worst case scenario should happen, but he was positive that Roswell would never be the same ever again, if the town would even survive his fury.

Grasping her good hand, he pulled it towards his mouth and kissed her finger. He had been so scared when he had seen the ambulances and the paramedics, thinking he could have lost Maria forever. He had feared that she was dead and the last thing she would have heard from him was his hurtful words. He didn´t mean it most of the time, but she was confusing the hell out of him. Sometimes he looked at her and he couldn´t believe that she wanted to be with him, saw behind his indifference and accepted him with his flaws and everything. But other times he was sure that he had been bad in his past life, because there was no other explanation to get cursed with her.

But after this experience he would try to make an effort for her. To lose her would be harder to bear than keeping himself back a little. He wasn´t so sure if he could stick to his promise, but he would at least try to be a better boyfriend for her. Maybe Max could help him in that area. At least after they had freed Liz from their enemies clutches and if they would survive it.

Feeling her grip on his hand tighten he saw her eyes flutter open. She seemed to be disorientated and confused for a moment, gazing around the room like she had forgotten what had been going on just hours ago. " Hey".

Maria looked at the startling voice and was surprised to see Michael. She wondered what he was doing in her room, staring at her like he just lost his favorite toy. But then she moved her legs and the pain shooting in her limbs was reminding her where she was and what had happened. " Hey. How long have I been out?".

" Just a few hours", Michael hadn´t exactly paid attention to the time, but the moon was far up in the sky and that usually meant it was past midnight, give or take.

Maria tried to sit up a little higher, the position wasn´t exactly so comfortable for her back. And she was pleasantry surprised when Michael jumped to his feet to lift her and shook the pillow a little. Smiling at his caretaking she just knew that she would enjoy it as long as it would hold. " Do you know something from the others? Did they decide what to do?".

Michael shook his head, wondering how she still had the strength to worry about anything else than her injuries. She barely escaped getting killed and all she could think was Liz. The others would already think about a solution, she should just think about herself at this point. " No, but I bet they don´t want to bother us right now. They will probably annoy us tomorrow".

" Too bad that I can´t be with them right now. I´m scared for Liz, they could already be killing her and we don´t do anything against it", Maria hoped that her best friend was smart enough to give them what they wanted to save herself. But she doubted that the girl would do that. She would probably try to protect the pod squad until her last breath.

Michael wished she wouldn´t worry so much about anyone else. She had enough on her plate, but that didn´t stop her from putting more on it. Chuckling he wondered why he was so surprised about that. Her caring nature had been the first that had drawn her to him. Her need to keep her friend out of harms way and risk the wrath of aliens had made him admire the human girl. " You heard what Courtney said. They won´t harm her right now, they´re after all after you", the thought was still making him extremely uncomfortable and every noise outside this room was putting him on edge. But he wouldn´t leave this place until the threat was over, considering he was the reason that she was a target.

Maria saw the guilt in his glance and she was sure that one day she would slug him with something heavy on his head as soon as he seemed to be in his dark place, blaming himself for things that were out of his reach. He was just a victim in all this than her or the others. " It´s not your fault. You´re the reason why I´m still alive".

" How so?", now that was an explanation he couldn´t wait to hear. He couldn´t remember being there with her or having done anything that would have helped her against evil aliens.

Maria felt her cheeks heating and she knew that it was very uncommon for her to blush, especially in his presence. But now she felt slightly foolish for having blurted that last sentence out. It had been something she had wanted to keep for herself, because she was afraid everyone would just make fun of her. " Can you remember the fight we had about me going after you when you saved Max from the white room?", seeing him nod at her, she continued. " You told me that I was just a human liability and it would get me killed one day. I took that blow really hard and asked my neighbor to show me some tricks. He´s a martial art professional, really good with weapons. He practiced with me a few times, showed me how to dodge a punch and I learned a few combat techniques from him".

Michael felt his heart stop when he heard that, picturing her in his head with a weapon in her hand. He couldn´t imagine her in the middle of this war and truthfully he didn´t want to do that. She had to be kept far, far away from this battlefield. " This is what stuck? Great we fight so much and this is what you still remember?".

" I remember everything you have yelled, screamed or otherwise got across to me. But this was one of the few things that had made me realize that I was head over heels in something that was worse than anything I experience until now", Maria had known that she didn´t want to be away from Michael and that he would leave her as soon as he would notice that she couldn´t defend herself. Or he would be getting killed because he tried to protect her. She didn´t want to be some damsel in distress that needed a knight in shining armor to keep her safe. Her mother hadn´t raised her like that.

Michael dropped his head, knowing all too well that he was responsible for most of her tears. He had made her cry so much that he was everyday in awe how she could still look at him with so much love or why she hadn´t given him the boot already. " I´m sorry for all the times I hurt you or made you feel unwanted. That had never been my intention. You´re everything to me".

Maria smiled while a few tears leaked from her eyes. Pulling his face up she tried to get him to look at her. She forgot sometimes that he was raised from a drunken bastard and hadn´t received the love he should have gotten. But at times like these she remembered why she loved him so much. " I´m sorry, too. Sometimes I let my insecurities cloud my senses and that makes me into this bitching harpy".

" If we´re already at that. Can I finally know the reason why you had been so pissed at me in the eraser room?", Michael oversaw most of the time that the front Maria was showing everyone else was not the real her. She just could hide her insecurities better than other people.

At that Maria finally knew again what had made her go to Liz in the first place. She had almost forgotten the reason for going to the Crash Down. Glaring at him, she was glad that he brought it up again. That morning she had been too upset to ask about that, but now she was calmer and would probably not kill him when she heard his explanation. " You gave me a flash".

Michael glanced at her like she just said something unbelievable stupid. He would probably never understand the other gender, no matter how much time he had to study them. Two lifetimes and he was still clueless. " Yeah and? Isn´t that what you always wanted from me?".

" I saw you kissing Isabel and Courtney", Maria tried to look pissed, but she just couldn´t be angry at him, not now after he was there with her, holding her hand and telling her how much she meant to him. Bastard, he knew how to weaken her.

Michael winced and he was sure that as soon as Maria would be released from the hospital he would get his ass kicked. And she had every right to do that. If he would kiss her and he would see some flash of her kissing someone not him, he would be really pissed as well, probably even more than her. He would probably went to the scumbag and punch his lights out. " That´s not what it looked like. I was comparing the kisses".

Maria was close to explode, even with her handicapped state and his declaration earlier. That was like the tip of the ice. He was comparing her! And then with two alien bombshells, probably having more experience than her. How could he do that and then when they had been together? " You´re not helping your situation right now. I hope you´re next words are better or I will call Kyle and Alex to kick you out of his room".

" I just had wondered why I had never felt more towards them, you know seeing as they were my species. I wanted to know why you were so special, why you were able to reach a place nobody else had managed before. That was all", even though he knew that her threat was serious he couldn´t refrain himself from looking amused at the thought to see the two human boys trying to get him forcefully out of this room.

Maria felt some of her anger melt away. She couldn´t stay mad at the big lug anyway, especially since he used the words special and her in the same sentence. He wasn´t playing exactly fair. " Alright, you can stay. But just because I´m such a good person".

Michael rolled his eyes, but inwardly he let a breath of relief out. If she was ready to tease him, she was mostly over the worst. He wouldn´t tell it anyone but he had missed her bickering and he was glad to be able to hear it for a little while longer. Giving her his famous smirk, he went immediately on alert when he sensed something alien outside the door. The feeling increased when he realized that the person was so close to Maria.

" What is it?", Maria was stunned about the complete change of mood in the room. She instantly recognized the tensed posture from Michael and she knew that something was about to happen. Glancing at her bedside she saw a can of lemonade standing on a tray on her table. Grasping the small thing she kept in her hand as a weapon, even if she was sure that she couldn´t kill anything with it, she at least felt not so useless.

Michael stood up, shielding Maria with his body and lifted his hand. He didn't want to be unprepared for any attack, which would surely happen. Collecting his energy in his body he was ready to use it against anybody entering without asking questions first. " Don´t move and keep quiet".

Maria held her breath when she saw the door handle going down. She was praying that it wasn´t Nicholas or Rath or even both of them. She didn´t want to see anything bad happen to her spaceboy. Then the door opened slowly and she reacted out of instinct. Throwing the can of lemonade with deadly intent she waited for the sound of the impact. Unfortunately it never came and she was surprised when she saw it hovering in midair. At second glance she relaxed, seeing it was just Courtney, although she wouldn´t have been so opposed to the idea to hurt the girl.

" What are you doing? You could have really hurt me", Courtney was happy that she had good reflexes or the can would have hit her directly in the face and she was slightly attached to her features. The husk wasn´t so resistant against flying objects than any other aliens and she just had this one.

Maria blushed at the accusation, feeling stupid for having done that. But to her defense she was rather safe than sorry and after the situation in the Crash down she would probably jump at every noise now, which didn´t mean she would hide at home. " Sorry. But it was his fault", pointing at Michael she was glad to have the advantage of being able to blame someone. " He got all commander on me and I panicked".

Courtney looked amused at that, wondering if the human girl thought she could do any damage with the small can. They had the worst kind of bad boys against them and they wouldn´t even flinch at the attack. Plucking the object from the air she walked deeper into the room, being careful not to make a wrong move or Michael would blast her head off. Keeping eye contact with Maria, she was sure that it would be safer to talk to the blonde girl. " Did you know that Jim Valenti and two of his deputies are standing guard at your door. You´re more protected than the Queen in England".

" Jim is here?", Maria pulled Michael on his seat again, forcing him to give up his tensed posture and making her calmer. He almost made her nervous with his staring at the skin with this dangerous gleam in his eyes. She was sure that if she would call him by his human name, he wouldn´t even react. " Why didn´t he come in?".

Courtney was about to answer when Michael interfered in his rude manner. Holding his gaze steady with her, he was trying to decipher if she was trustworthy or if he should get rid of her immediately. Since the attack he didn´t trust anyone outside his family. " Did you talk to your people? Are they willing to help us?".

Courtney was slightly thrown by the venom in his voice. But she didn´t back down from his glance and she held it with one of her own. He had to stop seeing shadows where nothing was. " Yeah, I´ve got four of my men watching the hospital and three on the inside".

" Could you stop that!", Maria huffed annoyed, feeling the air crackling with power and she wasn´t exactly thrilled to be in the middle of a pissing contest, even though it was somehow funny to see it between two different genders.

Michael finally registered the tension between him and Courtney. Then he glanced down at Maria and he saw the way her eyes darted from one to the other. Swallowing his distrust, he tried to keep himself under control until they were as far away from this hospital room as it was possible. " Fine. But one wrong move and I can´t guarantee for anything".

Courtney made a face at him and managed to get a chuckled out of the human girl, which wasn´t exactly the response she had been hoping for. Sensing that the mood had calmed down a little, she was brave enough to give up her eye contact with the commander. " So, can I finally get to the point of my visit or do you want to guess?".

" Go on. I´m curious why you´re here. I´m sure it´s not the concern about my wellbeing", Maria didn´t want to be longer in the presence of the alien girl than necessary. Besides she was getting tired again and she didn´t trust the other girl enough to close her eyes with her so near.

Courtney wondered if the dislike would ever go away between them, seeing as they would spend a lot of time together from now on. She had nothing against Maria, even though it wasn´t exactly a two way street. " If you believe it or not, I worry about you as well. You´re important to Michael and that makes you important to me".

Michael felt uncomfortable at those words, not knowing if she wasn´t just trying to kiss his ass and as soon as he was turning his back on the two, she would attack Maria. Too bad that he wouldn´t find that out because he would never leave his girlfriends side. " Cut the crap. What are you doing here?".

" I´ve got news. Jim gave me the order to tell you that Max, Isabel and Alex moved to your apartment for a few days. They don´t want anyone alone right now, full protection of everyone twenty four hours. Nobody is allowed to leave town", after that she turned her attention to Maria. " You´re mother was getting told that she should stay where she is for protection and that you´re guarded. Thankfully Jim had been able to get her calm again, I´ve never heard someone cursing that much in my life".

Maria couldn´t repress her smile at the mention of her mother and that she was far away from any danger. Now she could sleep a little bit better knowing that everyone she loved for was being taken care of. At that her expression dropped, thinking about Liz and what she had to endure right now. " What are we doing because of Liz?".

Courtney personally wouldn´t do anything, because it was most likely that they had killed her already or were using her for their purpose. But she knew from experience that Max wouldn´t sit back and leave her alone with those monsters. He would risk his life and those of the others to save his soul mate. " Nothing right now. They´re expecting us to react and we would walk willingly into a trap. Do you want to lose anyone else?".

" Of course I don´t want that. But the thought that we´re waiting for the next shoe to drop is making me anxious. Liz is my best friend, someone as close as a sister to me and I want her back with us", Maria bit her lip, trying to keep her tears at bay. She didn´t want to appear weak in front of the other girl. But the constant worry about her friend was making her sick to her stomach.

Michael gave Courtney a glare that was clearly telling her to back off, which the girl immediately did. Cupping Maria´s face with both hands he tried to send her some of his love through their connection. He didn´t want her stressed and especially in her condition right now. " And we´ll get her back. Max and Isabel are probably already planning something".

Maria sniffed quietly while she nodded her head, knowing that Max would never abandoned Liz. He would do everything in his powers to bring her back home and if he had to move mountains in order to do that. " I hope so. I want her back".

" We all want that", Michael wished he would believe that. He didn´t care so much about the girl, aside from the fact that she was important to two people he cared about. It wasn´t that he didn´t like Liz, he just didn´t know her good enough to have an opinion about her. She was just a figure in the background for him.

Courtney averted her eyes before she had to laugh about that lie. She knew the commander and she had watched him long enough to realize that Liz was just an annoyance for him, a reminder about the mistakes his brother had made. " I think it´s time for me to go".

Maria had almost forgotten that she was there with them. Turning her gaze away from Michael she glanced at the alien girl, asking herself how it had to be for her to go back to an empty house. Not that she cared, but some part of her felt pity, even if it was just a small part. Suddenly a cell phone was ringing and judging after the "Enter Sandman" ringtone it was Michael´s.

Smiling sheepishly at both girls he pulled the small object from his pockets, stood up and walked towards the window while he picked up. " Yeah, what´s up?".

" _Michael, Michael! Help us! Rath …..Max is….Isabel…ground…powers…scared"._

Michael was instantly alarmed at the snippets he could understand from Alex. The panic in the human boy´s voice was almost tangible through the line. He immediately glanced at Maria and saw her struggling to go out of bed, having probably picked up on his tension. Quickly he strode the few steps towards her and pushed her back down. " Alex, calm down. Help is on the way. No matter what, stay out of the line of fire and wait for help", snapping his cell phone shut he brushed his hand through his hair, torn between rushing to the others and staying with Maria.

Courtney saw the torment and she could understand it. He was very protective of his family and very territorial with his mate. He couldn´t leave the one or the other. Getting impatient with his struggle she finally snapped. " Go. I keep Maria save until you´re back".

" I don´t trust you with her".

Maria knew that it was hard for him to not be able to do what his instinct was telling him and she was afraid that he would never recover if anything happened to Max or Isabel while he stayed with her. " Listen to her. Go help the others. Trust me, no one´s doing anything tonight", seeing that he was still reluctant to leave, she gave him one of her famous glare. " Don´t make me get tough with you, space boy".

Michael hated to feel like he was letting her down. But he couldn´t ignore his instant reaction, Max and Isabel were his only family and he wanted to keep them a little bit longer, even though he always complained about them, he didn´t want to lose them. " First sign of danger, you contact me".

" I absolutely promise. Now go", Maria wouldn´t admit it, but she was scared to be alone with Courtney, even if she was sure that the girl wouldn´t try anything. Not with a hall filled with armed man guarding her.

Michael bent down and kissed her forehead, hoping that he wouldn´t regret leaving her for a small time. Glowering at Courtney with black eyes he pointed a finger at her. " I come back and she has a scratch I will hunt you down and kill you".

Courtney groaned slightly pissed off at the threats directed at her. Like she would touch the human girl at all. She had better things to do. " Got it", then she watched him walk out of the room. Waiting until the door closed she glanced around, trying to find something to distract her. Noticing the paint was splitting at one point at the wall she sighed. But all of the sudden something occurred to her. " Hey, you want something from the vending machine outside?".

" No. I just want to sleep a little. But don´t let me keep you", Maria was glad that the other girl felt just as uncomfortable in her presence as she did. Closing her eyes she heard her leave and she relaxed instantly. Letting her thoughts wander for a moment she found something strange at the attack. If Courtney was correct and they were after her, why did they attack Max and Isabel then? Why haven´t they done that in the first place? The realization came promptly. They wanted to get Michael away from her. Shooting up in her bed and opening her eyes she was startled when she looked in familiar and yet unfamiliar brown eyes. " Rath!"

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 **

**Don´t fear the Reaper**

Rath was pretty surprised that she immediately known that he wasn´t her lover and with her being human it was more impressive that she could see the difference. The dudes standing guard in front of her door had been more easily fooled. They hadn´t even reacted when he had walked past them inside the room. Thankfully Aryalle hadn´t picked up that he was present or she would have been already in here, protecting this human like a tigress her pups. The girl was strangely fond of his dupes pet and he found that image rather disturbing, seeing as Aryalle was so adamant that he should go back to Antar to help them fight against Khivar.

" Glad you still remember my name. It makes the whole visiting thing not so awkward".

Maria instantly knew that she only had a few seconds to find something to defend herself or she could kiss this world goodbye forever. The creep was probably not here to make sure that she was alright. But everything in her reach wouldn´t hurt the alien or put even a scratch on him. Screaming was out as well. Until she would have given alarm to an intruder, she would be already dead before anyone would be there to help. The only option was to stall until Courtney was back from her food raid. " What are you doing here and don't tell me some bullshit, I´m slightly allergic to that".

Rath had to give it to her, she wasn´t an ordinary girl, because every normal person would have already screamed for help. But she was not like anyone else and he liked that. It would be a pleasure for him to get a taste of her, to find out if she was such a wildcat in the sack as well. " You have spunk. I dig that in a woman".

" Been there, done that. Next", Maria was terrified at the lewdly glance he was giving her, she knew that look from Michael and it usually made her excited. But it was so horrible to see that expression on a face that was the same and somehow not. It made her uneasy.

Rath sat on the bed, careful not to hurt her in the process, at least not yet. He wanted to make her a proposition first before he would reach for other measurement to persuade her. But maybe he could still have a little fun with her. He wasn´t so indisposed to play with her. " Tell me, how did you manage to kill those skins? Are you having secrets in front of your friends? Or had you just been lucky?".

Maria was sure the next thing out of her mouth would be essential to her survival. She couldn´t allow him to have the upper hand, at least not so early in the game. But she didn´t want to lie to either, because that usually bit her back in her ass, which left her with the half truth. " Well it was mix between hard training and a high adrenaline rush. You know we humans can do things that we wouldn´t manage otherwise in stress situations. You can Google it if you want".

Rath raised an eyebrow, not quite ready to believe her words. High adrenaline rush? That sounded highly unreal, especially such a slight slip of a girl like her. She didn´t look strong enough to defend herself. But maybe that was just the front and she was counting on her opponent to think that. " I will do that, after I´ve done what I´ve come for".

" If you think about using me to kill Michael, forget it. I won´t be a token in your game", Maria finally realized that there was a weapon in her reach, even if wasn´t something that she could use against him. But at least she could ring for help without him knowing about it. She had almost forgotten about the call button for the nurse. Carefully she let her wander under the blanket towards the edge of her mattress, where Michael had put it earlier.

Rath stroked the hair away from her face, glancing at her like she was a big piece of chocolate cake while he was on diet. Licking his lips he wanted to find out how much she would allow before she got help. " We don´t want to kill your lover. Khivar´s fight isn´t with him. I´m here to make a proposal to you and according to your answer things will change drastically".

Maria cringed inwardly at the caress, but she wouldn´t show him how afraid she was of him. Sticking her chin high, well as much as her condition was allowing it, she glared at his smug expression while her hand was still trying to reach the calling button for the nurse. " What kind of proposal are you talking about?".

" You get my dupe to change sides and we keep you and your friends out everything. We release your friend from her prison and we promise not to harm the humans in any kind", Rath trailed a visible line on her arm with his fingertip until he reached her hand, which had been about to push on a button and took it in his much larger one. Lifting both he kissed her knuckles one after another, all the while smiling like a kid in a candy store.

Maria felt stupid for having been caught and she wondered how she got out of that one now. She couldn´t just wriggle her nose and do the Samantha / Jeannie thing, she wasn´t an alien. Unfortunately her limbs were hurting so bad with every wrong move that she couldn´t even use that to defend herself. " Why should I believe a word you´re saying? Give me one damn good reason to trust you and I give you my word that I will consider your proposal".

Rath had to give it to her, she was one smart chick and she was maybe more paranoid than her lover. No wonder Khivar was after her and not the Kings bitch, because the other girl would cut everyone lose just to safe her soul mate. She had already done that in another reality and she was still suffering from the consequences. But this one would fight tooth and nails for her friends, no matter what would happen to her. " I like you, I really do. I don´t want to see you hurt in any way and my dupe, he´s like me, like a brother and I don´t want him to die as well".

" Yeah like I believe that. You have to do better than that", Maria snorted very unladylike and the sound was so strange in the silence of the room. But despite her tough act, her eyes darted to the door every few seconds and she was trying not to make it too obvious.

Rath knew he had to step up his play. Rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand, he tried to find a connection with her. He looked like her lover and maybe if he was acting more like him she would start to trust him. It couldn´t be too hard to behave like his dupe, they weren´t so different after all. " Why do you treat me like I´m the bad guy here? I´m here to talk to you even though I could have easily taken you with me".

Maria was angered about the things coming out of his mouth. Did he think she was falling for his more than bad act? He was the enemy and no matter what he said, he couldn´t change her opinion about him. He had tried to kill Max, had hurt her and kidnapped her best friend, he wasn´t exactly the role model for trust. Well except he was willing to do her a favor in return. " Okay, if you help me I will help you. Bring Liz back to us and I´ll see what I can do about Michael".

" That´s not possible, you know that", Rath was almost at the end of patience with her and he didn´t want to do that. Not when he knew that outside were a lot of people loving to get him out of the way. Aside from the fact that he really didn´t want to fight his dupe and that would surely happen when he would touch his mate.

Maria turned her head away from him, making it clear that she wouldn´t bargain with him under those circumstances. Either he met her in the middle so that they could come to an agreement or there was nothing to negotiate at all. " Then you can tell your King that we´re going to fight him until he´s space dust".

Rath´s tightly roped control snapped at that and his true nature was shining through his friendly exterior. Grasping her hair, he pulled her face in his direction and his expression was showing how crazy the ex commander really was. " Now listen bitch, you´re going to help me and I won´t have to smash your beautiful face, how does that sound?".

" F+++ you", she spat through the pain shooting through her head at his tight grip. But she wouldn´t surrender, no matter what he would say or do to her. She didn´t want him to think he could use her to his advantage; she would rather die than helping that scumbag.

Rath had finally enough from her resistance, he had tried to be friendly, but now he had to use force. Squeezing her hurt leg, he pushed his thumb painfully on the open wound until he heard her screaming. Slapping her hard, he tried to keep her quiet. " If you make so much as a peep, I´m going to kill you, got that!".

Maria was barely able to stay conscious, the pain having made her almost lose the little she had in her stomach. Noticing sweat breaking out on her face she made an attempt to breathe through the pain. She didn´t trust him not to put his creepy hands on her as soon as she would faint. " Do it and you will be next, I swear".

" Is that a threat? Because I don´t like someone threatening me", Rath pushed harder on the injury and he saw with satisfaction that she had to use a lot of energy and strength to not voice that scream that was building inside her. It gave him such a good feeling to watch her head getting redder and redder while the veins in her throat stuck out from the skin. He was sure that she could probably bite through granite right now. But despite the pain, she didn´t make a noise at all. " You´re such a good girl, you can bear a lot, especially for someone that would ditch you first change he would get".

Maria wasn´t sure how much she could stand, she could already taste the bile in her throat. It was hard to concentrate on anything than the fact that she was hurting so much that she would rather bite her leg off than enduring this torture any longer. But then the last sentence fought his way through the fog of pain in her brain. Using the remaining strength left in her she opened her mouth. " Screw you, f***er".

Rath eased his grip on her leg and he was amused how fast her body relaxed, he could practically feel the tension leaving her. Smiling down at her, he started caressing the spot he had attacked a few moments ago and his hand was dangerous close to hem of her nightgown. " Don´t you get tired of insulting me? You just have the chance to save your precious boyfriend and your family and even your pathetic little friends. You just have to convince my dupe to stop protecting those royal retards and give them over to Khivar, that´s all".

" Never", Maria snarled at him, putting as much venom as she could muster in that one word. She would never do that, she didn´t even know if she was able to be so cruel. Even if she didn´t have that close bond to Tess or Isabel like she had with Michael or Liz or even Alex, she couldn´t just give them up.

Rath bent closer to her until his mouth was at her ear and he was glad to see that the caress of his breath was giving her goose bumps. It was probably a reaction to his similarity with her lover. " Don´t you want to save your friend? She´s crying for you to get her out of her prison, screaming your name and cursing your for getting her in it in the first place. Don't you want to have her back?".

Maria bit her lip, tears forming in her eyes at the mental picture she was creating herself. She could imagine too good what those bastards would do to Liz right now and she couldn´t stand the thought to leave her best friend in the hands of those monsters. But she knew that she would never be able to convince Michael to abandon his family for Liz, he wouldn´t even do that for her. " If you as much as harm one of her hair I will rip you to pieces".

" I want to see you try", Rath was slightly aroused when he glanced at her darkening eyes, the dangerous gleam in them and knowing that she would really do that to him in her mood. Even though she was just human, she was probably strong enough in her hate to hurt him.

Maria felt his hand edging closer and closer to her panties, a fact she didn´t like. Here she was barely able to move and too scared to make a noise, he would surely love to take advantage of that situation. But she didn´t want to hurt Michael that way, he would probably never recover if someone else would touch her the way he was doing it. Reacting on pure instinct she used the proximity to punch him on his nose. While he pulled back from her to nurse his injury she rolled to the side until she was able to grasp the call button. Unfortunately in her haste she took a little too much force and fell out of the bed. Landing hard on the ground she fought the fainting feeling, she clenched her teeth and turned her body around so that she could finally do what she had wanted to do from the start. Pushing on the red button she was relieved when a peeping sound was heard.

" That´s not over yet, bitch. I will be back", Rath said before he jumped out of the window and into the night.

Maria started crying as soon as she listened to the door opening forcefully and someone entered. It seemed to be more than one person actually and before she knew what was happening four men were surrounding her, asking her questions and checking if she was hurt.

Jim had been barely having enough time to make sure that Courtney was still alive when he saw the red alarm in this room and he instantly forgot the skin to make sure that his charge wasn´t harmed. Now he felt guilty for not staying at the place in front of the door. But he had been so sure that his deputies' wouldn´t let anything happen to the girl. Sadly he had been mistaken and from now on he would guard her alone again. " Maria. Can you hear me? What happened?".

" It was so horrible. Bob was here and he threatened me", Maria got out through the sobs wracking her body. She was so scared and relieved at the same time. Her emotions were like a rollercoaster and she didn´t know which direction she was going actually.

Jim immediately realized who had been here and he was sure that someone would be really pissed at him for not doing his job right. He was positive that Michael wouldn´t be so nice when he found out that she hadn´t been as safe as he thought she would. " He can´t hurt you again. I promise you, nobody will ever lay a hand on you from now on".

Maria felt hands lifting her up and every part of her was hurting, especially the area around the wound in her leg. Feeling something wet and warm running down her skin she hoped that her stitches had survived the torture, but judging after the pain and the blood dripping through the thick patch of bandage she was sure that she could forget it. " I can´t stay here. Don´t make me stay here any longer".

Jim was just in the process to reply something when a voice startled them all. The voice of an angry alien seeing the damage in the room and three men helping his mate back into the bed.

" What the hell happened here?"

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**Laugh, I nearly died**

Michael was instantly pushing everyone away from Maria as soon as he realized what was going on and the unsettling feeling that he had been having the whole time he had been gone was finally making sense. He should have known better than to leave her alone, that it had been just a trap to make him disappear and he stepped right into it. But he was used to screw up, even if this time the stakes were higher than ever before and he couldn´t allow making such mistakes again. Lifting Maria in his arms he almost cringed when he noticed the swelling of her cheek and that haunted look in her eyes, which was worse with the tears in them. Sitting down on chair besides the bed he put her on his lap to check her properly.

" We´re checking the outside for the attacker. We´ll be back soon", Jim felt like they were intruding an intimate moment and he didn't want to be present when Michael decided to destroy the hospital in his angry fit.

Michael didn´t even register the words or the shuffling off the feet in their haste to go outside. He was so intent on touching Maria to make sure that everything was still there, even though some parts were more damaged than others. When he came to her leg, he cursed aloud seeing the bandage soaked with blood and every visible part covered in it. Putting his hand on the spot he was immediately assaulted with pictures from his dupe torturing her, trying to convince her about his intentions. For a moment he was really proud of the way she was resisting his games and put him down, even knowing he could easily kill her. But then he felt like shaking her so long until she came to her senses, she shouldn´t put herself in this danger by pissing off someone like Rath, who hadn´t even one ounce of comparison or some other human traits like them.

" Why didn´t you give him what he wanted?".

Maria snuggled deeper into his body, trying to soak up the safe feeling and hoping that she had to never go through something like that again, at least not in this weakened state. The next time she wanted to be more prepared and complete healthy to kick some serious alien butt and not cry like a baby. " How could I? How can I give up my friends?"

Michael held her so tightly that he was afraid to crush her, but he needed that contact to make sure that she was there with him and not dead. She could have easily been worm food by now and he would have been too late. " I don´t want to see you die, alright. But if keeping you alive means I have to choose between my family and you than I have to make a decision".

" I don´t want to stand between you and your family, they´re more important right now", Maria knew already where his loyalties was and she couldn´t hold that against them. If the situation would be reversed she would want to make sure that her family was safe first of all as well.

Michael pushed her slightly away from him to look in her emerald pools. She couldn´t believe that he would choose Max and Isabel over her? Not after he had been so close to lose her. He could live without them, but not without her. No matter what would happen, they would do it together. " The most important thing to me right now is to keep you safe. Max and Isabel can take care of themselves. You are my first priority".

Maria was stunned speechless as soon as she heard that. She had always thought that she would come after his family and finding a way home. But she saw the truth in his eyes, the terror behind his glance and the determination to keep her alive. " You´re mine as well. Why do you think I didn´t give into him? It would have been easier and less painful to do what he wanted, but I knew that I couldn´t put you in this place to make a decision to sacrifice your family or sacrifice Liz".

" We´ll get Liz back, I promise you that. But I won´t risk anyone in the process, especially not you", Michael cupped her face tenderly, trying to get some of his feelings through the connection of them across to her. From this point on, nothing and no one was ever managing to get him away from her side. Wherever she went, he was there, even it that meant he had to accompany her to the bathroom and vice versa.

Maria was thrown from the warm feeling spreading through her body, wondering if he was doing that to her. Closing her eyes, she enjoyed the moment and banished every bad thought, which was not so hard like she imagined it would be. Suddenly a tingling was washing over her like a wave and she was surprised when her pain was getting less with the seconds and a new feeling was making an appearance instead. Throwing her head back she bit her lip to prevent herself from moaning out loud. Every nerve in her was alive and acting up, making her almost dizzy with energy.

Michael barely could refrain from ripping his pants to shreds at the intense feeling inside him, making him forget everything else around him and just concentrate on his mate in his arms, her throat so close to him that he could see her pulse quickening under her skin. Fighting temptation, he focused all his attention on healing her wounds, which he hadn´t been even aware of that he was capable of doing that minutes ago. His body had quickly taking over for him and he was glad for that fact.

" OMG!", Maria cried when she reached her peak and she slumped boneless against her lover, her limbs spent from tensing so strong at the end. Hiding her embarrassment with pushing her face in his chest, she made an attempt to get her fast beating heart under control. She hadn´t ever felt so satisfied.

Michael would have never thought that he would feel a blush tainting his usually emotionless face. But here he was, sitting on an uncomfortable chair in a hospital seconds after Maria had been attacked, with heating cheeks and a nice, unmistakable spot on his pants. " Are you okay?".

Maria didn´t dare looking up at him, she was too mortified at her behavior just now. She wasn´t like that and especially not after she barely escaped getting ripped apart from an evil alien, trying to seduce her towards the bad side. Nodding her head, because she thought her voice would betray her right now, she pushed her face deeper on his chest.

" What´s wrong?", Michael found it slightly odd that she was trying to hide from him, she had never done that. Lifting her face with his hands he saw with amusement that her cheeks were as red as his, maybe even more so. In that moment he fell in love with her all over again. " You don´t have to be embarrassed. At least you don´t have to walk around with a wet spot on your pants"

Maria glanced down and noticed the darker area in front of his jeans. So it had happened to him as well. She finally understood why Liz couldn´t stay away from Max after he had healed her. If he had given her just a small part of that intense feeling she wouldn´t have let the guy go either. " Is that normal? Does that always happen?".

Michael shrugged his shoulders. He didn´t have any experience with healing, aside from that one time he had help Riverdog. But if that would be normal, wouldn´t have Max mentioned something? " Don´t know. It´s the first time I experienced something like that".

" What are you still doing here?".

Michael startled at the voice coming from behind them. Turning around with his hand lifted in front of him, well as much as Maria in his arms would allow that, he glared at the intruder. Seconds passed while he tried to find out if that guy standing at the door and looking at them like they had been in the middle of having sex was friend or foe. But it was hard to tell with his emotions still reeling from the high. " You´ve got five seconds to save your neck by telling me who you are".

The guy stepped back slightly intimidated from the threatening gesture. He had heard all the stories about the violent powers from the commander, which seemed to be as strong as they had been in his past life. He was even more powerful when he thought his mate was in trouble and he didn´t usually stop to ask questions before blasting away. " My name is Mike. Courtney sent me as a personal bodyguard for the human girl, seeing as she´s not able to do that anymore".

" What happened to her? I hope it had been bad because I won´t excuse anything else at this point", Michael was sure that if he would find out that Courtney had been having a blast at the vending machine outside while Maria had been struggling with her life, there would be hell to pay.

Mike shook his head, trying to find the courage to look at the human girl. But every time he caught her terror stricken green eyes, he felt this sadness overtaking him. Forcing himself to concentrate on the commander, he swallowed the emotions and went back to business. " She´s dying. Her husk wasn´t fully matured and this atmosphere is killing her".

Maria gasped at the information, even if she hadn´t been comfortable with the girl, she didn´t want her to die. Looking up at Michael she saw the same expression on his face. He was as shocked to hear that as her. Whirling her head around she glanced at her alien bodyguard. " Can´t we do anything to stop it? Isn´t there any other pod or capsule to put her into?".

" No, the commander destroyed the harvest and that was the only way the husk could have been saved", Mike didn´t even spare her one peek, his gaze strained directly at Michael the whole time he spoke.

Michael sighed, wondering if there was one thing he could ever do right in his life. He failed his family, Maria and now even Courtney. He had wanted to do something nice for her, because she had helped them in some twisted way. But now he realized that no matter what he touched, he lost. " Nothing new there, I screwed up".

Maria immediately put her hands on both of his cheeks and turned his face in her direction. She hated to hear him so defeated, especially when it wasn´t his fault. He was just as clueless in this war as any other person in this situation. He thought he had to protect everyone, but that was physical not possible, not even for such a strong alien as him. " I don´t want to hear you say that ever again. You didn´t screw up".

" Yes I did. Liz is gone, Mr. P. is dead, Max and Isabel could be dead by now as well, you got attacked twice and Courtney is as good as dead, all because I couldn´t protect you all", Michael was close to lose the control over his emotions, which he had tried to keep under wrap until he had time for them. He couldn´t just break down when everyone was counting on him to be the strong one.

Maria kissed him before he could wallow in self pity. She didn´t want him to draw himself back like he usually did when he felt that he wasn´t good enough for something. He was so much more worth than he was giving himself credit for. But he wanted to be someone he was not or not yet at least. Pushing every ounce of love she had for him in this kiss, she was relieved when he seemed to relax and responded with equal force. After she was sure that it would be safe to get air in her lungs again she released him, putting her forehead on his and smiling at his dazed expression. " That was to calm you down".

Michael managed a small smile when he heard the sentence he had given her after they had shared their first kiss. Keeping his hands on her back, he was glad that she was the way she was. Every other sane girl would have dropped his sorry ass by now. But not Maria, she was always standing at his back supporting him and he never noticed how much she did for him. " I don´t deserve you".

" Let me be the judge of that, okay Spaceboy?", she gave him a tiny peck on his lips before she stood up from his lap and got on her slightly still wobbling legs. Instantly both of the guys were with her, steadying her and making sure that she wasn´t falling on her face. " Would you stop that! I´m not an invalid, dammit!".

Michael had never been so grateful to hear her complain. As long as she had something to say and even doing it, she was still okay. Even if that could have been different, if she wouldn´t have been such a strong headed girl. Liz, Alex or Kyle would have been probably dead by now or would have given Rath what he wanted. " Let me take care of you. I need it for my pained soul".

Maria glared at him, knowing damn well what he was doing. He was playing the guilt card on her and like every time, she fell for it. Sighing annoyed at his pleading eyes, she sat on her bed with her arms crossed over her chest. " Fine. But note that I know that you´re not playing fair".

" Noted. Now let me dress you".

The shocked expression from Maria would have been comical, if her eyes wouldn´t have been glinting so dangerously. Mike was out the door in seconds and closing it tightly behind him.

**Hideout Khivar**

Rath thundered inside the cave, tiny chunks of the walls raining down on him in his furious mood. People seeing him went immediately the other way or tried to pass him as fast as possible before he decided to kill them just because they had been near. Clenching his fists angrily, he was tempted to pay a visit to the king's bitch to play a little with her. Unfortunately he realized that his plans had to wait when he saw Lonnie and Nicholas bearing down fast on him, both seemingly in really high spirits.

" Not now. I don´t have time to listen to any bullshit now".

Lonnie ignored the rude behavior like always and went at his side. She was in such a good mood that she almost felt giddy. The attack on her dupe and her pathetic brother had been a real success, even if they haven´t really harmed them, just scared them a little. It had been such a funny sight to see the former King cowering in fear that she barely avoided pissing her pants from laughing. " You´ve got hear that. My and Zan´s dupe are such wussies. Every infant can scare them. It was so disgusting to watch those two".

Nicholas nodded in agreement and it was the reason why he had been relieved to be with Lonnie. Those Roswell retards were easy, a piece of cake. But the commander was a whole new other level. If the guy would tap into all of his power, the world as they knew it would be over. " And how was your day?".

" Fantastic. Now leave me alone", Rath was thankful that the blood had stopped shooting out of his nose and that he had been able to right the bones again. For a human the girl had a nice right hook and if he wouldn't have lost that battle he would have admired her for that.

Suddenly the doors to Khivar´s chamber were thrown open and the owner was marching with a strange expression on his face towards his most trusted soldiers. Smiling coldly at them he got stuck with his eyes at the slightly redder part of Rath´s face. Coming to a halt in front of him, he couldn´t hide his amusement. " The human girl again? Wow, two in a row. Think she´s hiding something?".

Rath clenched his fists at his side, his jaw was moving furiously under the skin and his eyes turned to an almost black color. It was one thing to get beaten from a girl, a human one at that. But he couldn´t endure to hear anyone making fun of him right now. " No, I was being too nice. But that changes now. Now we step up our game".

" You´re not touching that girl. I want her alive and preferable unhurt. I want her to come willingly on our side", Khivar had to admit, he was really curios to meet this human spit fire, having escaped the commander twice and living to tell the tale. She was clearly in disadvantage and still she managed to avoid getting filleted from one of the most powerful creature after him.

Rath gaped openly at his leader at these words, not having realized that Khivar wanted her as well. He had been under the impression they had wanted to do an Anakin/Vader with his dupe. Take everything from him until nothing from his human side was left. " What? And you think she will do that?".

Khivar shook his head in disdain, wondering why everyone was doubting his abilities. He wouldn´t have been able to destroy the royals if he wouldn´t have been smart and skilful. " If she can safe her family and her friends, than yes I think she will do that".

" I told her the same and she didn´t even flinch. What makes you so sure that you will be able to get her to react?".

Khivar put his hand on the other man´s shoulder, preventing himself from squishing the bones under his fingers. The guy was slowly driving him crazy with all those questions. No wonder he was looking for some replacement. " Because I know her weakness, besides her love for the commander and her friends".

Rath saw it in Khivar´s eyes and it was making him really uncomfortable. And he wasn´t someone that scared easily. But there was something that was even too much for him. " And what would that be?".

" Her mother. And I know exactly where she is".

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**Breaking the habit**

Michael and Maria had spent the short drive to his apartment in silence, which had to do with the fact that Mike was sitting with them on the backseat of Valenti´s Jeep, while the Sheriff was keeping his eyes mostly on the quiet couple than the road. The attack had left everyone rattled and they realized that all bets were off at this point and the only way they would survive was to grow out of their teenage phase and step into adulthood, as fast as possible. Jim was worried about the kids, knowing that they barely were old enough to make their own decisions. But this situation was topping everything that would ever cross them in their lives. He was especially concerned about Maria, who was too small and petite to go up against those aliens, even though she had managed to put Michael´s dupe in his place. But that had been just one alien and not a group of them, he didn´t want to imagine her in the middle of a war that she had no business to be in. Arriving at the apartment, he had to ask that question or he would explode from curiosity.

" Why haven´t you called for help as soon as you noticed that other Michael was in your room? Someone would have come to save you immediately".

Maria stopped the silent communication with Michael and turned her attention towards the older man. She felt her cheeks heating when she realized that she had been too busy with staring at her boyfriend to notice anything going on around her. But after their strange sexual encounter in the hospital she couldn´t keep herself from watching him watching her. " There were a lot of reasons. At first I feared that Rath would kill me before anyone would have a chance to open the door, then I wanted to find out, if he could give me information we would maybe need in the future. And he looks like Michael. I couldn´t risk that anyone saw Rath and put a target on Michael, because they thought it was him having killed Mr. Parker and kidnapped Liz".

Michael stiffened at her logic and his heightened emotions were flaring up again. He had maybe promised to keep his temper in check, but after hearing that she had been more concerned about him than her own life, he couldn´t stick to his promise after all. Clenching his teeth together, he held his breath to keep from lashing out at her stupidity.

" That´s just stupid! Why risk yourself like that? You´re not Wonder Woman!", Mike exploded, stunning everyone in the car. They all stared at him like he just spoke to them in some different language while shifting in his alien form.

Maria felt like she got slapped in her face. Cringing more into Michael´s body she tried avoiding any contact with the guy. He was weird and she thought he was way too creepy, not to mention too young to be in the position to protect her. Since he came to her room he gave her this odd vibe and she didn´t know what to make of it. " On this planet there´s something like friendship and love. We do a lot of stupid things when we´re sure to do the right thing. I don´t know if you have feelings on whatever planet you´re coming from, but it is like that here on Earth".

Mike glanced out the window, keeping his emotions under control. He had known as soon as he decided to take this assignment, that it would be a mistake and would be the toughest challenge in his life. But he hadn´t known how hard it really would be for him and how much it would cost him. " I was born and raised here on Earth", he mumbled quietly, barely over a whisper.

Michael felt something like sympathy for the guy. He had seen the sad expression and it reminded him about himself. They both seemed to be more alike than it seemed. He didn´t know why that was, but he liked the boy. " Yeah. How come?".

" My father is an alien and my mother was h.h….human", Mike stumbled over the last part, swallowing the lump in his throat. It was still hard to talk about his parents with others, especially those two.

Maria felt bad for being so rude to him. She finally had to learn think before opening her loud mouth. The boy was clearly in pain and after she heard the past tense at the mention of his mother, it was apparent that the woman wasn´t alive anymore. Laying her hand on his arm in comfort, she felt some kind of familiarity at the touch. " I´m sorry".

Mike glanced at the hand on his arm and for a moment he enjoyed the contact. Then he made the mistake of looking at the sparkling green eyes staring back at him. Feeling all his emotions choking him he wrenched himself away from her. " It doesn´t matter", he spat before jumping out of the jeep.

" Leave him alone", Michael tightened his arms around Maria when he felt her struggling to follow after the boy. He knew that the last thing Mike needed right now was some female trailing after him, demanding to listen to her when all he wanted was to be alone, a feeling he was all too familiar with.

Maria was about to say something when Jim´s cell phone started ringing loudly. He immediately picked it up after he saw the caller ID. Ignoring any pleasantries he came straight to the point. " What´s up?".

Michael instantly sensed the news were bad as soon as he saw the Sheriff losing his color for a moment and then it was hard to make out words at the outraged outburst from the usually calm man. Waiting until he was finished with the freaking stupid moron on the other end of the line, Michael stretched himself between the seats. " What had this all about? What is with Maria´s mother?"

" We, well I asked a few police officers from Albuquerque to keep an eye on Amy, you know make sure that no one comes near her. I worried when Courtney said that those skins were after Maria and I thought it would be better to cover all bases, to not give them any target. Unfortunately those imbeciles can´t even do that. They lost her in the traffic and she isn´t in her hotel room", Jim should have known that if anything should go right he had to do it himself. Punching the familiar from Amy´s cell phone in his own, he tried to keep his temper in check. If anything happened to that woman, there would be hell to pay.

Maria bit her lip while she waited for her mother to pick up her phone. She didn´t want to think what she would do if her mother wouldn´t be there anymore. Seconds passed and nothing happened. Trying to stay calm, she drummed her fingers on her thigh nervously. She wished this would be all a dream, that she would wake up and her mom would knock on her door to tell her that she was late for school.

Michael was two seconds away from snapping something in half. Putting his hands on those of his girlfriend, he made an attempt to calm her down. He knew that she was worried about Amy, but it was probably just false alarm. At least he hoped that. He didn´t want Maria to go through losing the last parent. " Don´t worry. You´ll see everything will clear itself soon".

" Dammit Amy, pick up!", Jim shouted angrily, his face twisted into a mask of concern and fury, making him look like a different person. He had been always the silent and stern kind of type, making them feel guilty with just his intense glare directed at each of them. But this new side was strange and it was more than apparent what he was feeling towards the older Deluca woman. " Freaking mailbox!", in a pure act of violence he threw his cell phone on the passenger seat.

Maria was sure that something horrible had been happening to her mother. It couldn´t be coincidence that the woman was gone while someone was after her. They hadn´t been able to get to her, now they wanted to use her mother to do that. " She´s dead, I know it. It´s my fault, I got her into this mess without thinking about her in the first place. What kind of person does that make me? I should have given her a warning or something, but I had been to busy with myself to do that…"

Michael put a finger on her mouth to silence her and to make her relax before she fainted from all the worrying. Stroking her face, he wondered why she thought like that. If anybody was at fault here it was him and not her. She had been just in love with the wrong guy and he had been too selfish to let her go completely. " Shhh. Amy´s fine, She´s probably on her way to Roswell right now to make sure that you´re really alright. Do you think she would listen to the Sheriff and stay away when she knows that you were in an accident? She´s a mother and a stubborn woman at that"

" Yeah, that sounds like her", Jim seemed to have used the small break to get his mind in order again. Now he sounded like himself and that was a comfort for everyone still in the car. An out of control Sheriff was the last they needed at this moment.

Maria shook her head, not believing that for one moment. Feeling the air getting too thick in the car and almost choking her, she wrenched herself out of Michael´s iron grip and jumped out of the Jeep, banging the door with too much force. She was tired, there was some strange background noise inside her head and she didn´t had time to progress everything. Her best friend was still gone, her mother probably as well and the bad guys were after her. Rubbing her forehead she was sure that a headache was coming and she hoped that someone had some aspirin for her.

Michael exchanged a worried glance with the Sheriff through the review mirror, knowing that they were thinking about the same right now. Acknowledging that fact, he followed after Maria. Seeing her standing in front of his door, her face twisted in pain and her shaking hands massaging her temples, he picked up his pace to reach her. " What´s wrong?".

" Just a headache. There´s just a lot going on in my mind".

Michael instantly felt alarmed. Putting his hands on either side of her head, he wondered if he had missed something when he had healed her. Glancing in her trusting eyes, he was in awe how much she loved him. Her faith was a miracle and he didn´t know what he had done to deserve that. Focusing on the pounding behind her eyelids, he realized that there was something that shouldn´t be there, well as much as he had learned in biology. Checking the thing out, he was stunned when he found out that it was a link, a link to him. Barely touching it with his mind, he startled when it came to live.

_Oh thank god. The strange feeling and the noise in my head are finally gone._

Michael stepped back from her, like he had gotten an electric shock. Staring at her, he was more than just freaked at having heard her voice so clearly, although he was sure that she hadn´t opened her mouth for a second. Brushing his hair with his right hand, he tried not to panic. " What did you just say?".

Maria raised her eyebrow, wondering what had gotten into him to act like that. She wasn´t used to see him so close to freak out; he was usually not someone that was easily scared or let something get to him. " I didn´t say anything. Are you feeling okay?".

_Maybe the attack and everything is finally catching up with him. I should probably make sure he rests before we discuss strategies_

" Would you stop with that?", Michael exploded, not feeling exactly comfortable to have her in his head like that. She wasn´t supposed to find out how messy it was in his mind and how much she was taking place in it.

Maria was taken aback from his verbal outburst, cringing away from him in order to keep from flying objects. She knew from experience that it wasn´t helpful if she would ask again about his well being, it would just get him more upset and she wasn´t in the mood to get in a fight with him right now. " I didn´t do anything"

Michael felt guilty for snapping at her like that. She didn´t deserve his anger, especially not for something he had created in the first place. The healing must have linked them together and that meant they could hear each other thoughts apparently, even if he wasn´t so comfortable with that idea. " I know, I´m sorry. But I can hear what you´re thinking and it´s confusing".

" What? You can read my mind? I don´t believe that", and to prove her point she thought about a dream she had been having a long time ago, a small fantasy staring Max and her in some huge castle. They both were living their passion for each other very openly and very nude.

Michael growled dangerously at her, not liking that she had such a detailed fantasy about his best friend. He wondered if she ever felt something more than just friendship towards Max. He didn´t know what he would do if he ever would find out that it was like that. " If you ever show me something so disgusting like that I will finish off you and Max".

Maria´s eyes widened at the threat, finally realizing that he had told her the truth about his ability to peek in her mind. Finding that thought rather pleasant than scary, she focused all her attention on him to try if that link they seemed to have was a two way street.

_Why is she so staring at me like that? Did I say something wrong again? Maybe I was right about her feelings for Max? Maybe she´s feeling more for him than I thought_

Maria wasn´t sure if she should be moved, because he was just as insecure about his hold on her than she was about her hold on him or pissed, because he was thinking about ridiculous things. Cupping his face in her hands, she smiled at him, deciding to spare the pissed feeling for some other occasion, which would probably happen soon. " I love you. Don´t ever doubt that. I love Max, but I could never be in love with him, not the way I´m in love with you".

Michael relaxed after he heard those words, especially now that he felt that she was really meaning them. Even though he wasn´t perfect or as thoughtful as other boys, she loved him the way he was, with his faults and everything. " Ditto".

" Okay, now that this is cleared we should go in there and finally make a plan to get Liz out of the grasp of this Khivar dude, find out where my mother is and make sure that you pod people stay alive", Maria gave him a small peck on his lips before she took his hand and dragged him to his apartment, where everyone already expected them.

Isabel was the first to stand up from the couch and coming towards them with her eyes blazing dangerously. Her usual calm exterior had been replaced with her old Ice Queen persona. " Where have you been? We needed you here?".

Michael instantly went into a defensive stance, his whole body shifting in some weird attacking mode. The only thing that kept him from lashing out was the soft, but yet strong grip from Maria. " I was more needed at the hospital. Rath attacked Maria again and my place is with her right now".

" Are you okay?", Alex immediately went to his best friend to check for any sign of an injury. He didn´t want to think about losing another friend like that. It was bad enough that Liz was gone, he couldn´t bear to lose anyone else at this point.

Maria smiled weakly at him, feeling better now that she was with the people she cared about, even if the welcome hadn´t been so nice. But she couldn´t hold it against Isabel to be so rude, although it had been uncalled for. " I´m fine. Michael healed me".

Max glanced at his best friend with pride, knowing that Michael was capable of more if he just concentrated enough. It would be good for him if he found out that he could do more than killing and protecting. The only thing that seemed to be strangle was the glowing from both and the odd way their cheeks were reddening, like there was something they didn´t want to share with them. " We managed the situation without you, so don´t worry so much about it. I already knew that you wouldn´t leave Maria´s side", and he could understand that. If anyone would be after Liz, he wouldn´t do that either. Not even for Isabel and Michael.

" So, do you have anything new? Do you know where Liz is?", Maria steered Michael deeper into the living room where she pushed him on the armchair and hopped on his lap. She didn´t want to waste anymore time. Now that her mother was gone as well, they had to act much faster before anybody else would be missing.

Isabel shook her head and her expression was so defeated that it was hard to look at her. She was always so confident or at least appeared like that to the outside. But this version of her was scary and made everyone realize how deep they were stuck in this shit. " I tried dream walking her, but I couldn´t reach her. Either she´s not sleeping or someone´s blocking me. I will try it again later this morning, maybe I´ll have more luck then".

Alex rubbed her back in comfort, knowing how much it was weighing on her to not be able to help. She wasn´t used to be so helpless, especially in a situation as serious as this one. But they weren´t ready for this fight and it wasn´t even sure if they would ever be ready for that. " There´s not much to do as long as we don´t know where she is or how we can locate her".

" Why didn´t anyone get in contact with us already? Don't the bad guys usually send notes or videos to taunt the hero's?", Maria didn´t like the sound of that, just sitting around and waiting for another attack. This time somebody could die and nobody seemed to grasp that concept. Staring at Michael she used their new way of holding a conversation without anyone realizing it.

_What do you think Spaceboy? I hate to do nothing while they torture Liz_

Michael turned his head in her direction, using their closeness to ignore the others in the room, expecting him to have all the answers. Now he knew how it must have felt for Max the whole time and he had to admit, he didn´t want to have this complete responsibility on his shoulders.

_What can we do? We don´t know where she is or how many people are with her right now_

Maria knew that he was right, which didn´t meant she had to like it. Sighing she put her head on his shoulder, feeling the last twenty four hours finally catching up with her. She was so damn tired of this worrying, even though she was positive they were just at the beginning of the battle.

_Maybe we can get help from Larek? He has more knowledge about Khivar than we have_

Michael was impressed about her thinking, even in her sleep deprived state. They could use that option and see if it got them anywhere. If not they just had to come up with another plan, which wouldn´t be so difficult when they all would help together.

_That´s a good idea; could be from me. Maybe we should suggest that with the others and see what they think about it_

_Whatever you want, just as long as I don´t have to be the one talking_

Michael chuckled at her mental pouting and at him for finding it so cute. Not that he would tell her that, although it was actually a moot point seeing as she could look in his mind like he could look in hers. Glancing up, he was stunned when he saw everyone staring at him with a strange expression. " What?".

Isabel was so glad to see that her almost brother finally dropped his tough soldier act and was taking care of the woman he loved like he should have done a lot earlier. She had known that one day he would capitulate with a white flag. " It´s so cute to see you two like that, that´s all".

" We´re not here to marvel at the beauty of seeing them cuddle. We´re here to make sure that my…I mean Maria doesn´t fall in the hands of Khivar", Mike hissed through his teeth, startling everyone in the room, because he had kept himself pretty much in the background the whole time he had been there.

Max gazed distrustful at the newcomer and he didn´t know if he shouldn´t have done something earlier. But he had seen the young guy coming with Michael and Maria, so he hadn´t questioned his being here so much. If the boy would have been in any kind dangerous, Michael would have already made space dust out of him. " What´s your deal? What are you even doing here?".

Mike glared at the ex king and he understood why Antar fell in the hands of the bad guy. Zan hadn´t been man enough to face the reality. He had been living in his fantasy world where everything was fine and dandy, leaving the cruel thing to his second in command. But a kingdom was just as good as their weakest link and that had been his lack of interest in fighting, which ultimately brought the downfall of the royal four. " I´m here to make sure that you´re not screwing up. I´m here to keep you from making the same mistakes as before and I´m here as a favor to someone very close to me. So I suggest you get of my case and concentrate on doing YOUR duty".

" Could you both stop with the tension. Mike is staying with us until the danger is over", Michael had to hide his amusement at the spunk from the young boy and he loved to see his friend getting put down once in a while, even though it was usually him that had to do that. It was nice to see that from the other side.

Mike was grateful for the support, especially from the last place he would have thought he would be getting that. He had heard a lot about the Commander and it always ended with the same, he wasn´t a very nice man. Maybe most of it had been just old legend and gossip, but he had believed everything. " I think we should put Maria to bed, she had been through so much. She doesn´t need to be here when we´re discussing strategies".

Michael strained his eyes to look down at the head resting on his shoulder. After he managed to make something out, he noticed that Maria had indeed fallen asleep on him. Stroking her back, he stood up carefully and slowly, trying not to wake her up and made his way to his bedroom.

Isabel and Alex watched confused Mike following after both, his eyes trained with determination on Maria´s peaceful face. Shocked they saw longing and slightly pain in his expression, making them curious what he was really doing here with them, aside from the assignment.

" Does anyone else think the guy is creepy?", Alex voiced what he and his girlfriend were thinking. Even though he wasn´t exactly the paranoid kind like Michael, he thought something was very wrong at the picture.

Max was relieved to know that he wasn´t the only one finding it strange that some guy was playing the protector, so soon after Maria had been attacked for the second time. But the weirdest thing was Michael, letting the boy so close to Maria without making a fuss like usual. It was unnatural. " Yeah. I think we should keep an eye on him. Michael´s not exactly in his right mind at the moment and we have to make sure that no one´s in danger".

Isabel was just in the process to tell her brother that she would have done that anyway, when a knock was sounding in the apartment. A little scared and surprised she glanced at the other two people, who appeared as confused as she felt. All three of them stood up and went to the door, looking through the peephole to see who was there. Relieved they noticed it was just Sheriff Valenti with Tess and Kyle in tow. Opening the door they stepped aside to let them in.

" Hey guys. You will never believe who we found wandering the streets", Kyle pulled Tess inside, looking a little smug and unbelievable happy. Contrary to his girlfriend, who seemed to be more guarded at the obvious good news.

Sheriff Valenti waited until the kids were in the apartment before moving to the side and getting something there. Dragging someone back with him, they were all a little shocked to see the person with torn clothes, dirty and bloody standing at the door. " She´s still under shock and badly hurt, but we thought it was safer to get her here instead of bringing her to the hospital".

Max was the first to recognize the wounded and violated girl. Gasping out loud, he couldn´t believe that she was with them again, no matter how she looked at the moment. " Liz!".

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**Wicked Game**

Max ignored caution as soon as he realized that his missing girlfriend was standing in front of him. Feeling a huge weight falling off of his shoulders he pulled the scared girl in his arms and pressed her at his body. He had been so scared when he imagined what those creatures would be doing to her to get to him and it had made him sick. He never wanted anyone to get hurt because of what he was, but that was probably a lost case. There would always be someone getting hurt, always someone taken away or maybe one day getting killed. Just because of the fact that they were involved with them.

In that moment he finally realized what Michael had been trying to tell him all those years. It would never be safe for them to fall in love, especially with human girls. He had never wanted to acknowledge that fact, but after having experienced first hand what could happen, he couldn´t just overlook the obvious. Unfortunately the humans would be a target with or without being involved with them and so he decided to keep them safe until everything was over and then to let them go, for their own good.

" What did those bastards do to you?", Max cupped her face and eyed the wounds in her face. He didn´t want to think where else he would find bruises on her body. It was making him very angry to imagine where they could have touched her. " Are you in pain?".

Liz just stared at him, her dry lips cracking with her attempt to speak and her eyes darting through the room with barely concealed panic in them. Her whole frame was shaking whether it was from the cold outside or from fear. " Pain, so much pain. And darkness. Fear".

Max glanced over his shoulder towards his friends and he saw the same perplexity in their eyes. Nobody knew what she was talking about and if she was even aware of the things leaving her mouth. Exchanging a look with Valenti, he realized that it was probably a side effect from the shock and she just needed rest, maybe something to eat and a shower. " Isabel could you bring her to the bathroom and make sure that she takes a shower?", after he received a nod, he turned to Tess. " Can you make a soup for her? She needs something in her stomach, but I´m afraid to give her anything to heavy right now".

" Of course. Kyle you can help me".

Max rubbed his face, feeling his old self slowly coming back to life. He just needed to concentrate on their situation and they would find a solution in no time. Unfortunately that meant he and Michael would have to work together and in the mood his friend was in at the moment, it wouldn´t be pleasant. " I´ll look if Liz can sleep with Maria in Michael´s bed".

Jim and Alex watched after him and they were glad to not have all this weight on their shoulders. Sighing both made their way into the kitchen. It wouldn´t get them anywhere if they were too weak from starvation.

**Bedroom**

Michael was sitting on the small armchair he had found at some front yard sale a year ago and had his eyes clued to the sleeping form in his bed. He was so grateful that Maria wasn´t a normal girl and that her guardian angel had worked his ass off to keep her safe, because he didn´t want to think what he would have done when something bad had happened to her. Just the thought that she could be dead was painful and he didn´t know if he would be strong enough to endure the pain for a long time.

But thankfully she wasn´t some damsel in mistress type and was able to kick back, although he found the thought that she was fighting against people that wouldn´t have a problem to crush her without blinking was more disturbing than anything else. Good for her that he wouldn´t leave her out of sight for a moment from now on, so that wouldn´t be a problem.

" Don´t beat yourself up. You´ve done a great job so far", Mike was disturbed about the guilty expression on the other man´s face, because it was destroying the picture he had been having about the commander, the man with no heart or soul. But this broken person wasn´t any of these things, not even to some extent and he wondered if his father had ever looked at his mother with so many emotions.

Michael startled for a moment, having forgotten that he wasn´t alone in the room. Turning to the boy leaning against his bureau, he was so curious why Mike was so intent on keeping Maria safe and why he was even more protective of her than him. " What are you getting out of this deal? Why are you so adamant to keep her alive?".

Mike swallowed the lump forming in his throat. It was still a sore spot to talk about his intentions and the force that was driving him to do the right thing. But he knew if he wanted to stay at the human girl´s side, he had to be honest, well as honest as it was allowed for him. " My father had been a very cruel man, he had never shown any emotions, not to me or anyone else. The only thing he had loved more than anything had been power and to control my mother. My mother, she would have done everything for me, she even endured the marriage with that monster, because she wanted to keep me safe from him and she knew that he would chase us, no matter where we would go. Unfortunately she hated my father with a passion and didn´t hide the fact, which ultimately ended with her death. My father never got over the fact that she had loved someone else and never gotten over his death and so he killed her. I just want to prevent that from happening to Maria and that´s the reason why Courtney chose me, because she knew I would fight everyone just looking wrong at her".

" I´m sorry, that´s pretty sad. But it won´t get so far, we´re both making sure of that", Michael could ban the idea of Mike being his and Maria´s son from the future from his mind. For a while he had thought that and it had sounded reasonable in his head. But now after hearing that story he was sure his theory was wrong. They loved each other and he would never do anything to control her, even if that wouldn´t be so bad with her always running into dangerous situations.

Mike nodded his head while he turned around to glance out of window, to hide the fact that he was close to shed a few tears. It felt kinda good to let that all out and to have someone else knowing what he had gone through. " Yeah, we will".

Michael had recognized the glistening in his eyes before the boy had turned his head and he saw the pain shining there. It was more than obvious that his mother had been everything for the guy and that he missed her deeply. " You have loved your mother very much, haven´t you?".

" Yes, she had been everything and I hate my father for taking her away from me", Mike wiped the tears falling down his cheeks angrily away, feeling the weight of his pain more than he ever had felt it before. He would never forget the cold look in his father´s eyes when he plunged the dagger in his mother´s soft body, watching her bleeding to death with satisfaction.

Michael sensed the pain and for the first time he knew that there were things far worse than just being afraid to be a danger to someone. It was even worse to witness someone you loved deeply die in front of your eyes. He felt for the guy and that was saying a lot, because he didn´t quite click with other people, especially strangers. But something with the boy was familiar and he had the urge to protect him. " I can believe that, but now you´re not alone, we´re taking care of you".

Mike whipped his head around and stared at the commander like he just confessed he was a cross dresser. Didn´t his mother tell him that Michael was the hardest to find a connection to other people and that it would take a lot of time and patience to convince him about the honest intentions? " Thank you".

" Hey is it safe to come in", Isabel poked her head inside the room, making sure that she wasn´t disturbing anything. Seeing both men glancing at her and than at the sleeping girl, she let her gaze wander to Maria, who was deeply asleep and wouldn´t have even noticed a helicopter landing in their midst.

Michael motioned for her to come inside, but to be quiet. He didn´t want Maria to wake up, she needed the sleep right now and he would make sure that she would get it. Unfortunately he hadn´t counted that Isabel would have someone in her tow, someone they thought they had lost. " Whoa, what is Liz doing here?".

Isabel rolled her eyes at the ever so tactful approach from Michael, even if he didn´t mean it most of the time. He just said what was on his mind before he thought if it was appropriate or not. " Nice. What you probably really meant was, how come she made it back to us, or not?".

" I´m just surprised", jumping to his feet, he walked towards the two girls and glanced at the scared, dirty creature looking at him with her panic stricken eyes. For a moment he felt pity for her and relieve that it wasn´t Maria having been through the torment. But then he bristled at the dark energy surrounding her. " Who are you?`".

Liz recoiled slightly from him, her eyes filling with tears at his harsh tone and she pushed herself deeper in Isabel´s arms. " Pain. Darkness. Fear".

Isabel was stunned about the defensive mood from Michael. Protecting Liz from the angry glare, she sent him her own heated glance. He couldn´t just act like that with the scared girl, it would drive her deeper into her catatonic state. Shaking her head at him, she wondered why he was reacting like in that in first place. " What is wrong with you?".

" With me? I´m not the one bringing strangers here", Michael knew that the person standing in front of him wasn´t Liz Parker. Aside from the fact that Khivar wouldn´t just drop his leverage, it was even really unlikely that he would let her live long enough to report back to them.

Isabel huffed angrily at him, pointing at Mike with her head and giving him a hint that he hadn´t done anything different. He had brought this boy under their roof and nobody even knew the guy or what he was doing here, but he was making a fuss because of one of their friends. " She´s not a stranger. She´s Liz. Maria´s best friend".

At that Liz reacted instantly at the name and she gazed past Michael and at the person lying peaceful in the bed. Stepping out of the protecting embrace of the other girl she moved towards Maria. As soon as it was clear what she was intending, her path was blocked from a male body.

" You´re not getting near her", Michael´s eyes had darkened so much that they appeared to be black and threatening. He was looking like the commander he had been in his past life, a terrifying monster with deadly intentions.

Liz cringed back from him, feeling the overwhelming energy from his body. He was making her scared with that darker aura around him and the poised posture, daring her to disobey his order and giving him a reason to attack her. He would attack her, she could see it in his eyes, he would fight everyone coming closer to his mate and she didn´t want to find out how much power he really possessed.

Isabel instantly pulled the frightened girl away and pushed her in the direction of the bathroom. Waiting until Liz was safely inside, she turned her attention to Michael, who seemed to have calmed down as soon as the human girl was out of his sight. " Are you stupid? You can´t act like some cave man with her, she´s scared enough".

" Believe me that´s not Liz in there. I don´t know if it´s a shape shifter or someone playing tricks on our minds, but that girl isn´t human", Michael couldn´t describe the feeling inside him, but all of his alarm signals were ringing very loudly and at the same time. It was probably some defense mechanism from the time as commander, but he trusted his instincts and he wished the others would do the same.

Isabel chewed nervously on her lip, knowing that Michael was usually right with his assumptions. They all thought often that he was paranoid, but in truth he just knew beforehand what was happening. " But why hasn´t Max noticed anything? Shouldn´t he be the first one to notice something strange?".

Michael had no answer to that and truthfully he didn´t care about it at all. The only thing he was sure about was Liz or that someone pretending to be Liz wouldn´t stay anywhere near Maria. He meant what he had said earlier, no one was coming near her. " I don´t know. But I´m not risking Maria, not after I almost lost her. Twice".

" Okay, I´ll keep an eye on Liz", Isabel hated to see that haunted look in his eyes, the knowledge that he would lose everything if something would happen to Maria. He would probably never recover from that blow and she would do anything to prevent that from getting reality.

Michael was relieved that she understood his need to protect and that she wasn´t giving him any grief about being a little bit on the paranoid side. He knew that he could be wrong with his accusing, but he didn´t take any chances, not with Maria´s life on the line. " Thank you".

Isabel patted his shoulder, in awe about the changes he was going through. A few days ago he would have probably choked on those words. But almost losing his love had made him realize that he had to do something different when he wanted to keep everyone safe. She knew that it was their worst nightmare coming true and Michael had always be afraid that he wouldn´t be able to protect them, the reason why he had practiced with his powers like a madman. " Do you want something to eat or drink? You have to be starved".

" Yeah, I thought about ordering pizzas for everyone, but I can´t be away from Maria, not even for a few seconds", Michael let his gaze wander to the human girl that had put his world upside down. He would murder anyone just breathing wrong in her direction, just a sneezer and he or she was dust.

Isabel followed his glance, watching with gratefulness that Maria was alive and under their care now. She would never admit it, but she had a soft spot for the other girl, for the way she hadn´t back down from Michael when everyone else would have just given up on the boy. And she admired the way Maria had kept her loyalty, even though she had had known that it could cost her life. " Tell you what, you stay here and I´ll order".

Michael smiled in gratitude at his sister, feeling the bond between them that had been destroyed since Max´ little stunt in the Crash Down Café mending again and he was glad about that fact. They needed to trust each other, now more than ever and they couldn´t do that when their connection was even slightly damaged.

" Hey Mike, you want some pizza, too?", Isabel tried to keep her suspicion about the motive of their newest addition in their group to a minimum. If Michael didn´t feel threatened by the boy, then she would make an effort to be normal to the guy.

Mike just shook his head, his eyes never staying from the sleeping human girl, although it looked like he wasn´t actually seeing something, it rather appeared like he was in deep thoughts.

Isabel rolled her eyes at the response, there was just a grunt missing and the boy would be like a twin from Michael, at least from the expressions and little things he did, because appearance like they were two different types. " Great, I´ll let you know when dinner´s here".

Michael nodded faintly at her while he took his position besides the bed again. He was pretty surprised about himself that he was allowing some stranger to keep watch over Maria, even after the whole incident with Khivar knowing about her. But the guy didn´t feel like a stranger to him and it irked him why he felt that way. " So where are you from? You told us you grew up on earth, but where exactly?".

" We moved a lot, I´ve seen most of America and part of Canada", Mike was relieved when the blonde alien girl left them alone again. He had heard a lot from Vilandra, even more so than about Rath. She had been the reason for the downfall of an entire empire and Khivar was counting on being able to manipulate her again, a fact that was making him really uncomfortable right now.

Michael could imagine how that must have felt, he could really relate to feeling like to belong nowhere. Thankfully that had stopped the moment he laid his eyes on Maria and her way of snaking her way into his heart so easily. She had given him some sense of him without him realizing it. " That has to be tough. I lived all my life in his desert island and strangely I can´t see myself leaving this place anytime soon".

Mike let his gaze flicker to the alien commander for a moment, stunned about love shining in the other man´s gaze, which was directed at the human girl sleeping peacefully under their eyes. That had been what he had wished for his mother, the reason why he was doing this here and trying to make up for his past sins. " You love her so much that you would give up a chance to go home?".

" She´s my home, the only home I´ve ever known and the only home I want to be", it wasn´t hard to admit that to someone not his friend or knowing their history. Michael had never wanted to acknowledge that he was tied to Maria, that he had grown roots to this place and the people and if he would go away, he would rip half of himself away as well.

Mike slightly relaxed on the ground, preparing him for a long day ahead of them. They were only at the beginning of a really long battle and most of those royals were too young and inexperienced to endure such a war. Thankfully he and his people were more than able to handle the situation, at least for now. " Keep that feeling, it could maybe save your life".

Michael had barely opened his mouth to ask how he meant that when another head was stretching through the open door. But this time it wasn´t one of the girls, it was Max and he looked a little guilty.

" Is it okay to come in?".

Michael motion his friend to stay and that he would come to him. He knew that whatever they would be talking about would probably end in a discussion, which usually lead to them fighting and he didn´t want to do that so close to Maria. Stepping out in the hallway and closing the door tightly behind him, he faced the other guy. " What´s up and make it quick, I can´t leave Maria for too long".

Max shuffled uneasy with his feet and he wondered why he was so intimidated from his friend. It wasn´t like they were strangers or anything. But something at the other boy was different and scary. " Liz needs a place to sleep and we can´t her force to do that on the couch after what she´s been through, so I came to ask if there´s still space for her on the bed".

" There´s enough space, but not for her", Michael was glad that they were outside of the bedroom and not anywhere near someone, because it appeared like this would be ending in a heated conversation like always.

Max was shocked about the sentence leaving the other guy´s mouth and he was stunned into silence for a few seconds, before he regained again. He couldn´t believe what he just heard and was angry at the way Liz was getting dismissed from his best friend. " And can I know the reason for that or is there some rule in your household I´m not aware of?

Michael bit his tongue from lashing out, knowing that if he would let himself get carried away he would probably do something crazy, like punching his friend´s lights out, which would calm him down, but not help the situation in any way. They had to start being more responsible and mature. " Like I already explained to your sister, I think that´s not Liz. Think about it, do you think Khivar would let her go just so that she could tell us exactly where he is and how big his army is?".

" What do you mean Liz is not Liz? Maybe Khivar has gotten hold of Maria´s Mom and he thought she was a better hostage than Liz", Max wasn´t sure if he could follow the thinking of the other man. Shouldn´t he be the first to know when something was wrong with his girlfriend? Wouldn´t he be able to know the differences between the love of his life and a shape shifter?

Michael was sure that he would probably react the same way if Max would have told him that and so he knew that it was just a normal reaction. But in this moment they couldn´t take the risk to make a mistake, especially if that mistake could mean harming Maria or worse killing her. " He wouldn´t let her leave, at least not alive. He knows that Liz is more valuable to us than Amy. He´s not dumb, he´s sure that with you and Maria wanting her back I would do everything to make that possible, because you both mean a lot to me".

Max felt the last words hitting him like a baseball bat, but not so painful. He had never realized how much his friend cared about him and it was nice to hear it, even if he was sure that it wouldn´t happen again. Instantly his anger at the other man disappeared and his more rational side emerged. " I know you´re trying to protect Maria and you´re not such a fan from Liz, but you can´t accuse her of something that´s not true. How do you know it´s your spider sense tingling and not your paranoia?".

" This doesn´t have anything to do with the fact that I don´t have any connection to Liz. I feel something dark clinging to her and before I´m not 100 percent sure that it´s just a reminder of her time as hostage I don´t want her anywhere near Maria".

Max looked back in the living room, having felt the eyes of his sister in his back the whole conversation and he knew that she would support Michael in that moment and even though he didn´t agree with them, he would back off for now. " Okay, you win this time. We keep an eye on Liz and as soon as we´re sure that she´s not dangerous we treat her like a friend again".

Michael breathed out relieved, glad that for once their argumentation hadn´t gone out of control and ended with a fight. Maybe they were finally reaching a common ground or the attack had made them realize that they had to work together instead of against each other. " I can live with that".

" Hey, can you come back. Maria´s pretty restless and I can´t calm her down", Mike opened the door and interrupted the conversation, which he instantly noticed and immediately pulled his back inside again

Michael glanced at his friend to make sure that their talk was really over. At seeing the barely visible amusement, he knew that everything was cleared and over with. Nodding in understanding he made his way back to his sleeping girlfriend. As soon as he stepped inside the room he saw Maria was all over the bed and her head was thrashing from side to side. He instantly recognized the signs of a nightmare and went to her. Grasping her face in between his hands, he tried to send her some of his serenity. Realizing that the movement was getting less and less, he put his body besides her on the bed, cradling her carefully and brushing her hair with his hand.

Mike couldn´t take the sight and he glanced at the other side of the room. Noticing a few books sitting on the ground, he stretched his arm out and took the first one catching his eye. Stunned and slightly pleased he saw that he was holding his mother´s favorite book; Ulysses from James Joyce. She had read it to him since he had been able to understand the words. It had been like a small ritual between him and his mother until she thought he was too old for that. Browsing through the pages, a little part of him felt like home.

" You like books?", Michael whispered, still holding onto Maria who was sleeping peacefully again.

Mike looked up at him, seeing the understanding in the other man´s gaze and wishing that his father would have given him the same attention. Maybe then everything would have gone a different course and his mother would be still alive. " Yeah, but James Joyce´ Ulysses was my mother´s favorite, it´s reminding me a lot about her".

Michael felt sympathy for the guy, knowing how much a book could help someone in a bad situation. Without that lecture on his side he wasn´t sure where he would be right now; probably in jail or dead or both. " Your mother had good taste".

" Yeah, too bad that it hadn´t applied to her taste in men", Mike couldn´t still believe that his mother stayed with a man that had no heart, no soul and was the most cruelest person ever walking this earth and any other planet in this universe. His parents had been like night and day; they hadn´t matched in any way and yet they had been together for most of his life.

Michael glanced down at Maria and he was sure that she thought the same about him from time to time. If he could, he would give her back her old life without any interference from aliens. Unfortunately he wasn´t able to do that and so he had to make sure that she was well protected and out of harms way. Kissing her head, he vowed to be whatever she wanted him to be as long as she didn´t leave him. " We will probably never understand the thinking of women".

Mike snorted at the true words, nodding in agreement and wondering if it would get better with the age. Suddenly he startled at the loud noises outside the bedroom, it sounded like broken windows and screaming girls. Jumping to his feet he exchanged a confused glanced with Michael, who had stood up as well as soon as he had heard the same.

" What´s going on?", Maria finally woke from the ruckus around her and the strange vibes filling the room. Rubbing her eyes she looked at both males in their fighting stance and asked herself what she had missed while she had slept.

Michael bent down to kiss her and maybe make a small attempt to get back to sleep again, although he was sure that she wouldn´t be able to do that after the sounds got louder and louder. " Nothing. I´ll take a look and you continue sleeping".

Mike wasn´t so in agreement with Michael leaving her alone and he was in the process to tell him that when the other man was already out of the door. Sensing something bad happening he pulled his weapon out of his pants to shoot anyone trying to come in here.

**Living room**

Everyone was running outside, trying to see who had thrown that energy wave at the house. Jim was at the front, his gun ready in his hand in front of him, Isabel and Max trailing directly behind him with their hands lifted. Kyle and Tess kept more in the background while Michael was at the end.

Liz barely came out of the bathroom when she noticed the commotion and she cringed at the raw display of powers hanging in the air. Opening a door closest to her, she disappeared behind it quickly. Turning around she was surprised to see that Maria was still sleeping and no one was guarding her. Checking the room for anyone, she was slightly puzzled that they left her unprotected.

Smiling at the perfect opportunity and that their plan had worked so great, Liz changed her appearance and back into her old form. Glancing at the window, she saw her own reflection staring at her. Brushing her fingers through her short dark blonde hair, Vilandra finally pulled her dagger out of her ankle holder and stepped closer to the bed, where the poor human girl was lying and not realizing that her time was up.

" You´re not replacing me, you stupid bitch", and she plunged the weapon into the soft body with all of her strength.

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9 Sick and Tired**

Mike saw the satisfaction in the eyes of the blonde alien woman and he felt rage crawling up inside him. Rage for daring to touch Maria and for having the nerve to come in their territory to attack one of their own. Coming out of his hiding place, he sneaked silently behind the evil bitch and put the gun at the back of her head and released the safety catch on it, making his victim realize that she was busted.

" Be glad that it´s just me and not the commander or you would be dead already", he growled at her, trying to control his twitching finger. He knew that he couldn´t let her live, but he also knew that it wouldn´t help them when he would kill her right now.

Vilandra smiled at the weak attempt to scare her. Like a gun could do any damage to her, especially with her powers. She could disarm this guy in a heartbeat and he wouldn´t even have the change to react on time to her assault. It was a pity that those retarded royals were so easy to manipulate, it wasn´t fun to see them doing mistake after mistake. " Uhh, I'm shaking in my boots. What you´re gonna do to me? Talk me to death?".

Mike looked down at the bed, making sure that nothing was different with the picture. Still recognizing the blonde hair sticking out from the cover, he pulled the gun back just to punch her with the handle hard on a spot he knew would be really painful. With glee he saw her slump lifelessly on the ground. " No, I´m letting someone more frightening do the job".

Chuckling at his own joke he kicked her body just to make sure that she was out cold. Then he went calmly out the door and into the kitchen, passing the hectic people in the living room and shaking his head at the way they tried to find out where the attacker was while at the same time making an attempt to calm the neighbor´s who´s windows had to suffer the same fate as the windows in this apartment. For a moment he watched Isabel and Max talking calmly to some older women and making sure that no one was injured, Kyle and Tess were standing on the street, glancing from side to side and Jim was in his car, probably explaining to his deputies what had happened and that he was handling everything on his own.

" Oh boy, they still got a lot to learn", sighing he got the chair he wanted and carried it towards the bedroom, where he put it in the middle and sat Vilandra on, of course not very friendly and she would probably bruise from the force, but he didn´t care about her. Looking around the room, he searched for something to bind her hands together, something that would withstand alien powers.

Suddenly a hand was stretching silver cuffs under his nose and he startled at the intruder, which turned into a frown when he saw Michael staring at him with a mix between awe and caution. " Maybe you can use these?".

Mike took them with gratefulness, not trying to think what purpose they had with the guy. He didn´t want to imagine the two having some weird fetish for bondage, it was just too creepy and truthfully very disturbing to picture. " I won´t ask why you have them, but thanks", letting them snap around Vilandra´s wrist, he waved his hand over them to make sure that she couldn´t open them without their help.

Michael scratched his eyebrow in embarrassment, knowing the reason for buying them in the first place and it wasn´t something he was willing to share with someone else, just that it would get him in a lot of trouble with Amy Deluca and would probably cost him some of his most favorite body part. " How did you know that the attack was a trap?".

" Instinct", he was glad that he hadn´t been wrong in his assumption and had gotten Maria to hide in the bathroom just in time. He would have never recovered from that and it would have haunted him forever.

Michael glanced at the bed where Maria had been lying a few moments earlier and he was relieved when the picture from her sleeping form was changing into it´s original shape. The only thing Vilandra had damaged was the pillow he had hated anyway. Now he had an excuse to buy another one and this time it wasn´t something with fluffy hair or pink hearts on it. " You´ve got good instincts then and I´m thankful for it. You noticed something was wrong before me and I´ll owe you for keeping her safe".

Mike ducked his head at the compliment, feeling a stronger bond forming between them and he was sad that he hadn´t been able to meet the Commander sooner. All those stories and nothing seemed to be true. After all he had heard he had expected someone more in the direction of his father and not this nice, loyal person that loved this human girl so much that he would give his life for her. " You don´t owe me anything, I´m just doing my duty".

" Is it safe to come in or do I have to sleep in the bath tube?", Maria poked her head inside the room and glanced at the two men standing in front of a unconscious Vilandra. She didn´t mind to wait any longer, but then she wanted at least to go to the kitchen.

Michael immediately waved her in, not wanting to have her out of his sight longer than it was necessary. As soon as she was in close proximity to him, he pulled her at his side and indented to keep it that way for the rest of their life´s or at least until the danger was over, whichever came first. " Are you okay?".

Maria was surprised that he was asking her that, having spent the last five minutes hiding behind the shower curtain in Michael´s bathroom and not encountered the evil bitch like she had wanted. She was the last one he had to worry right now, especially with two dangerous protectors at her side, which were shooting first and then started asking questions. " Of course, I haven´t been the one fighting with Lonnie".

" I don´t understand why she came here, knowing that we would kill her as soon as we would realize who she was? Why did she risk herself like that?", it wasn´t making a lot of sense to Michael and he couldn´t wrap his mind around the fact that she went willingly in the lions den to attack Maria. Did the alien girl have a death wish or what?

Mike shrugged his shoulders, stepping in front of the passed out alien bitch and slapping her. He had no mercy for her and he wouldn´t care if she lived or not. She didn´t deserve to keep alive in his opinion and if he would have a say, he would kill her on the spot. " Why don´t we ask her?".

Lonnie felt like her head was exploding and her cheek was hurting as well. Groaning she tried to touch her face to make sure that nothing was bleeding, but realized quickly that she couldn´t move her hands. Opening her eyes she was met with a sight that was shocking even her. " What is going on here? Who are you?".

" We´re asking the questions, missy. Why are you here, who sent you? I don´t believe that Khivar gave the order, because he wants the human girl alive. So who sent you here?", Mike was so fed up with not knowing what was happening and he wanted answers, answers just the other side could give him.

Lonnie was trying to find her voice again. That boy was looking so damn familiar and she wasn´t sure if she was hallucinating, but it was unbelievable. She wondered if she had missed something, because this couldn´t be. " You look like..".

Mike bent down to her, glaring heatedly in her traitorous eyes. She would sell her soul for her King and he didn´t even care that much about his "mate". " Khivar? Yeah I know, I got the looks from my father, but thankfully the character from my mother or you would be dust by now".

" You´re Khivar´s son?", Michael instantly pulled Maria behind him and lifted his arm to blast the guy if he was making a wrong move. He should have known than to trust someone outside his friends. Now he was paying for his mistake.

Mike had expected that reaction already and he was prepared to suffer the consequences, but not at this moment. They were standing on the same side and he would explain everything at a later date. " Oh give me a break, I´m not the enemy, like I would harm my own mother", glancing at the human girl hiding behind the big bad commander, he made it obvious who he meant.

Maria felt her throat tightening, although she had been having the thought after she noticed her paternal side coming out when he was near. She had suspected something in that direction, but now that the truth was out, she didn´t know how to react to the news, especially considering who the father was. She didn´t understand that at all and she wasn´t sure if she wanted to understand it in the first place. " Whoa, You´re….and I´m your….I think I have to sit down".

" What is this? Some sick game you´re playing?", Michael had made the same assumption, even if he had thought about another father. Holding Maria at his side, he wondered how Mike could be Khivar´s child and how come Vilandra wasn´t the mother. It was just too much for him and he was sure that it wouldn´t take long before he would snap.

Mike hadn´t meant to blurt it out like that and he felt bad for bringing it up at this point. It would have been better to wait for some other time, some time like after they found out where Khivar was hiding the other human girl and where he was staying with his alien army. " Focus people. Liz is still missing and that bitch has the answers we need. Do you want to find your missing friend or not?".

Maria stared at Michael and her eyes were begging for him to keep himself back. _" I trust him and I want Liz with us. Let´s try to find out how we can get her back and than you can still bust his ass"._

" _I trust him as well, which worries me. But you´re right, we need his help for now, besides I´m able to take care of him if he should be evil"._

" _Thanks spaceboy. Now let´s get back to business", _Maria smiled at him before she turned her attention to Mike and for a moment she felt a connection to the young boy. She saw all his pain in this one glance and it pained her to know that she was responsible for that.

Mike recognized the guilt in her eyes and he promised that he would do everything in his power to stop the future from happening, to stop his mother from turning into this lifeless shell, which only goal was to keep his father from getting his hands on the granolith and to make sure that her son was protected. " Okay, now that´s that cleared, we can continue", slapping Lonnie again, this time with his fist and not with his open palm, he watched with satisfaction the blood dripping down the corner of her mouth. " Let´s start again. Who sent you?".

Lonnie licked some of the blood away, smiling at the boy. She liked it a little more aggressive and he had learned obviously something from his father. The apple didn´t apparently fall far from the tree. " No one. I came here on my own".

" Like I believe that crap, you´re not that smart", Mike got closer in her face, his hands leaning on either side of the chair. His eyes were sparkling like black diamonds and they were telling that he wouldn´t take it too lightly to hear some more bullshit. His patience wasn´t that good and his fuse could burn down every minute.

Lonnie didn´t lose her good humor and she raised an eyebrow, her mouth still lifted at the corners like she found the whole situation amusing. It wasn´t exactly the situation it was the thought that they believed they could beat her and with that Khivar. They were doomed and they didn´t realize it. " Your father doesn´t even know I´m here, I´m acting on my own".

Mike could work with that angle, knowing damn well that his father would kill anyone going against his plans and Vilandra was just a small light in his eyes. Khivar would cut her loose as soon as he had what he wanted. " Yeah that sounds like you, no matter what you do, you´re losing. Either we kill you or my father does".

" Cut the small talk!", Maria interrupted the conversation, not wanting them to start exchanging receipts. They needed information and they needed them fast. Liz was still with that bastard and every minute they left her there was a minute too long. She didn't want to imagine what they were doing with her right now. " We want to know where Liz is".

Lonnie turned her head in the direction of the human girl and she felt disgusted. She wondered what Khivar wanted from the small earthling, she wasn´t even half as pretty as she was and not an ounce as strong. " And what do you offer me for my cooperation?".

Maria pushed her son out of the way and took his place. Getting in the evil bitches face, she felt some satisfaction when she saw the other girl flinch away from her before composing the expression again and glaring right back. " Your life. You help us and we don´t kill you".

" As if I´m scared of you".

Maria was so sick of everyone treating her like some weak damsel in distress. Pressing her teeth tightly together, she tried to keep her seething invisible, it wasn´t good to show her cards before calling the bluff. If she had learned something in her life, then it was to never gamble without a poker face. " Oh you will be", pulling back her hand she punched the alien scum with so much force that the guys standing slightly in the background heard the snap of breaking bones and after seeing Maria flexing her fingers it was apparent that it hadn´t been any of hers.

Lonnie was surprised about the strength and she felt tears welling in her eyes from the pain in her jaw, making her realize that it was broken. Panic was slowly setting in and she cursed herself inwardly for letting her jealously guide her. She should have stayed with Zan´s little bitch and played with her instead of wandering in the territory of the enemy. Tasting blood, she had to do everything in her power to keep the bile from rising.

" Oh my god! I hadn´t meant to do that", Maria stepped away from their prisoner, scared about her own abilities. She felt instantly Michael´s arms encircling her body and pressing her at his side. She couldn´t believe what she had done, she wasn´t like that. " What have I done?".

Michael could imagine what happened. Since they bonded on a more intense level, they were sharing more than just their love for each other. They were like one person now and that meant she could tap into his powers. It would explain the ability to hear the mind of the other and picking up the emotions. " It´s not your fault, you couldn´t know. Besides you´re scared for your best friend, that would make everyone lash out in violence".

Mike was very proud of his mother for doing that move. She wasn´t someone you wanted to mess with, because even if she was a human being, she was tougher than most of her species. He had always admired her ability to appear like stone, but to have a soft heart deep down. After all she had been through, she never lost her caring nature, although there weren´t a lot of people knowing that side of her. " Don´t feel bad. It´s either you or her and I vote for her. But we need her speaking, so it´s not exactly helpful if she´s unable to talk", waving his hands over her jaw, he felt the warm tingling in his fingers.

" Bitch, I will get you for that", Vilandra sputtered in rage, forgetting her panic for a moment. She couldn´t just let that human girl walk all over her without defending herself. She had a reputation to uphold.

Maria pushed herself away from her boyfriend and bent down threateningly towards Lonnie, not realizing what was going on with her and where the courage was coming from. She hadn´t ever reacted so cold in her life and she wasn´t familiar with the dark feelings spreading through her. " I want to see you try. Now tell me where Liz and my mother are or I will break your jaw over and over again. And maybe I won´t stop there, maybe I will use every limb to test your pain limit".

Mike was highly amused about the spectacle and so he sat on the bed to enjoy the show. He had always loved to watch his mother get the information she wanted, one way or another. Sometimes she just had to offer something and most of the times she had to use violence. " I would listen to her, she´s more deadly than she looks. Plus she´s got the powers from the commander now, so I would think hard before making a huge mistake".

" I´ve got nothing to lose anymore. Khivar already plans to replace me, Rath is more interested to play with the brown´n boring piece, Ava disappeared and Zan is dead. I don´t care if I die or live", Lonnie confessed, stunning herself with that act. She hadn´t meant to say it like that and especially in front of the enemy, she wasn´t weak, just lonely.

Maria felt sympathy for the girl, not wanting to imagine being all alone in a world where she was an outsider. She had always felt like that as well, with the exception of having two best friends and a mother who loved her very much and later four alien friends, a jock that turned to Buddha and the Sheriff. " It should matter to you. You´re life is worth something. So what if those retards don´t know what they have with you, it´s their loss. We would never do that to someone. If you help us, I can promise you that we help you in return".

Michael blinked, wondering if he was hearing correctly. Did his girlfriend just offer their protection to the enemy? Was the girl mental or just really stupid? Grasping her arm he pulled her away from the deranged female alien killer to have a few private mental words with her.

" _What are you doing?"._

Maria was sure that Vilandra was playing her role to some degree, the girl wasn´t dumb enough to show any emotions in front of them and she realized that her ass was two seconds away from getting blasted. But there was something underneath that tough exterior that was making her feel a connection to the alien girl.

" _I know you think I´m crazy, but I´m not. Trust me I know what I´m doing"_.

Michael trusted his girlfriend with everything, but in that case he couldn´t accept this risk and if Maria wanted or not, Lonnie was a risk. He couldn´t let her leave this place alive, she would instantly report back to her king and that was an advantage he couldn´t lose, at least not so early in the game. They would use Vilandra for information, but after that she lost her importance, she was worm food.

" _You can´t promise her something that´s not going to happen, she´s not Isabel, she´s dangerous and a threat to us"._

Maria understood where he was coming from and after everything that had been going on the last two days, she couldn´t blame him for being a little overbearing in his need to protect everyone. But there was a part of her that wasn´t so comfortable with the knowledge to end a life, even a miserable one like that of Vilandra.

" _Let me try my way first and if you still feel the urge to kill her than you can do it. But please give me a little more time with her"._

" Fine, you have five minutes", Michael switched back to speaking aloud, intent on keeping real close to his girlfriend, just waiting for a strange twitching from their prisoner to let her talk to Ralph on the big white phone instantly. He was going against every instinct and he wasn´t sure if it was part Rath or his time with Hank, but something dark was lurking inside him, eager to escape its bonds and it surprised him that he wasn´t scared.

Maria smiled at him, glad that he wasn´t making a fuss like usually, making her realize that he was finally trusting her abilities. Or maybe he noticed that he couldn´t win a fight with her at this moment. Either way, she was very thankful for him to try to smoother his alien nature for a bit. " Thank you".

Michael grunted a reply that was clearly putting an end to their discussion. Glancing at Mike, he saw the same awareness in the young boy´s eyes and he was sure that Maria was probably more protected than the English Crown Jewels right now. Stepping behind his girlfriend to keep their prisoner in his sight in case something would went wrong he kept a fighting stance to prevent the alien bitch from even trying.

" Okay Lonnie, I know that we´re on two different sides right now and I even know that you´re not so evil like you want us to believe. So what do you say about calling a truce for the moment and pretend that you´ve got a soul and all that?", Maria tried to reach the human side from the other girl, sure that there had to be something remotely like a real person in there. Vilandra just didn´t wake up one day and decided to be like she was now.

Mike and Michael snorted doubtfully at the same time, making them look at each other in amusement before turning their attention back to the situation at hand.

Maria rolled her eyes at those two, wondering why she hadn´t kicked them out already. But then she remembered that Michael threatened to stick to her like glue and he would probably pick a fight with her if she would suggest leaving her alone with Lonnie and Mike would surely be on board with him. " Don´t mind them. I don´t want to hurt you or torture you, that´s not me".

" Then you´re at the wrong place".

Maria shook her head, hating to be interrupted in her interrogation. She had a lot more to say and she couldn´t do that if someone would always interfere in her sentences. " I said I don´t want to hurt you, that doesn´t mean I won´t do it. If you harm Liz or my mother in any kind I will personally rip you to shreds with my bare hands. But if you cooperate, I can give you my word that I won´t kill you and I stand to my word".

Vilandra couldn´t understand the girl. First she´s punching her with the strength of a jackhammer, then she tried to be gentle and now she was threatening her again and it was more than clear that the human girl didn´t joke about killing her. " Your word means nothing to me. I don´t cooperate with the enemy".

" Fine, be that way. Like I care what happens to you", Maria was through with being nice. People she loved were either in danger or about to lose their lives and she just couldn´t sit by and watch everyone around her die. Her mother had told her that she should always have the courage to stand up for the things she believed in and not turn her back on her instinct. This was the moment she could truly show what she had learned. " Michael it´s your turn. Let off some of your steam".

Now Lonnie finally showed some emotion flicker in her eyes. She couldn´t quite hide the fact that she was terrified of Michael and she squirmed on her seat, trying to rip the handcuffs off of her wrists. She didn´t care about cutting her hands off in the process, she just wanted to escape the fury from the commander. " Wait! We can probably find a compromise, meet in the middle".

At that Mike stepped into the fray again, not making an impression like he was happy about the delay of seeing her screaming in pain. He gave Michael a small nudge to get the commander out of the way. " We don´t negotiate with scum like you. You tell us where Liz and my grandmother are or I will have to force it out of you and you know how painful that can be. You surely know what my father´s greatest power is?".

" You can´t do that. I will tell you everything you want to know, just don´t do that to me", Vilandra hadn´t been mind raped herself, but she had seen Khivar and Nyko doing it and she still could hear the cries ringing in her ears, the pain and the panic mixing together. And after everything was over, the person had been just a soulless shell more dead than alive.

Maria was confused about the turn in the mood from the alien girl. Two seconds ago she was hell bent on keeping her mouth closed and now she was almost in tears. Glancing at Michael she saw the same expression on his face, he was probably wondering what they were talking about as well. " What is Khivar´s greatest power?".

Mike was pleased to realize that he was still able to make his enemy cringe back in fear, a side effect from growing under Khivar´s roof. Even if he tried to be as different as his father, there were small things he couldn´t shake off. Thankfully he had a lot from his mother and he usually used his darker nature for the good side. " Mind rape. He sucks all of your memories out of your head and just leaves an empty void behind".

" That sounds disgusting", Maria didn´t want to imagine to lose every memory she had, because every memory was connected to some part of her life and she didn´t want to miss one, even the bad ones. That was like deleting everything that was making out a person, like sucking the soul out.

Mike appeared not interested about what happened to their captive, he was just intend on keeping the bitch away from his mother. It had been too painful for him to see her getting killed again, even if it had been just a trap for their guest. He hadn´t made the leap to screw this up and he would change the future for the better, no matter how he had to do it and who he had to kill in order to manage that. " But we would really know what she knows. It´s the only way we can be sure that she´s not lying".

Michael wasn´t very happy about their option, but he was in agreement with Mike. They couldn´t take any risk and who cared what happened to Lonnie. She wasn´t a friend nor was she on their side. They finally had to realize that it was war and they couldn´t fight fair if they wanted to win. " Then what are you waiting for? The sooner we know where Liz and Amy are, the sooner we can make plans".

" I´m sorry, but I can´t watch this. I´ll be outside with the others", Maria was barely able to make a step towards the door when Michael wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back against him. Glancing up at him, she was surprised to see the panic in his eyes and she wondered what was going on beyond the bedroom door. " What is it?".

Michael couldn´t explain why he reacted so strongly about her suggestion to leave the room, but he felt the need to keep her near him. It wasn´t a rational behavior and he was positive that it was a result from the last attacks on her life. " I just can´t stand to have you out of my sight".

Maria put a hand on his cheek and she was sure that she should be freaked about his actions, but through their link she saw his desperation to keep her safe and alive. The attempts on her had left him scared and he hated to feel that way, especially in situations like that. He needed to have some sort of control or he would snap. " Okay, then I won´t leave your side, at least for a while".

" That won´t help you. Khivar knows how much you love the girl and he´s aware of you not leaving her unprotected. But he knows how he can break your spirit in order to get what he wants", Vilandra made a last attempt to get out of getting her mind fried. She would rather die than let those retards into her memories and take them away from her. It was all she still had.

Maria turned to the alien girl and she rather sensed Michael tensing besides her. She hated that she was so defenseless and that their enemy know about that fact. She was like a time bomb, just waiting to explode. Because of her, Liz and her mother had been kidnapped, the others were alone when they got attacked and Michael was constantly worrying about her while he should be thinking about tactic with the others. " What do you know? Tell us how we can stop him from going after Michael".

Vilandra concentrated on the human, knowing that she would have her best chance with her. Maybe she could save her neck after all and go back to the others to get in Khivar´s good grace. " He won´t stop until he has the granolith and Zan dead. But he knows that it won´t happen as long as the King is protected from the commander and in order to get him out of the way of Khivar´s plan, he needs you to convince him to change sides".

" But he must know that Michael would never do that. Max and Isabel are his family and I would never stand between him and them. I would rather let myself get killed before Khivar could use me as bait", Maria felt the grip around her waist tightening and she instantly realized that her boyfriend wasn´t so happy about her choice of words. Squeezing his arm in assurance, she hoped that he understood why she said that.

Lonnie shook her head, wondering why the girl didn´t see that the commander would abandon his family and kill them just to protect her. It was so disgusting to notice anyone around her was so obsessed with this human, although she wasn´t so special like her. Rath was frustrated that the commander's bitch had made a fool out of him twice, Khivar was thinking about making the girl to his new mate and Nicholas was interested if Maria was just lucky or if there was more in her than anyone realized. " Open your f***ing eyes Blondie! You will be his downfall. His feelings for you are weakening him, you´re making this whole thing too easy for Khivar. He´s their protector, but instead of protecting them, he´s protecting you".

Mike couldn´t listen any longer to the garbage the bitch was sprouting. That had been the reason for his mother to walk over to the dark side, well that and the death of the commander. As much as he had heard from the stories the people talked behind his back, Michael had thrown himself in front of a blast that had been for King Zan. His mother had never recovered from that and it had made her into a hopeless, unhappy person that just lived to save the rest of her friends. " Don´t listen to her, you´ve never made him weak, that´s just what they want you to believe. You´re the only reason why he´s still alive, because you made him believe in his powers and he tried to have better control over them for you".

" But she´s right. He has to look out for me, for the others and lastly for himself, I´m just a liability to him", Maria felt tears springing in her eyes. That evil bitch had hit a mark that had been very sensitive from the beginning. It was so hard to feel like she needed a lifeguard close to her in case she would drown. But she wanted to be able to swim alone, without any help from the outside and especially not from the only person that meant more to her than her own life.

Michael swore heavily and was two seconds away from killing Lonnie for her foul mouth. Cradling Maria closer to his body, he tried to calm her down. Stroking her back and speaking soothing words to her via their mental link, he glared at the bitch for planting those thoughts in his girlfriends mind. " Mike, I´ll give you free reign to do whatever you want to do with her to get the information we need. I´ll be outside with Maria".

Mike rubbed his hands in anticipation, smiling like a kid in a candy store. He would enjoy this session more than he could imagine. He had waited so long to get back at the scum for treating his mother like an insect all those years. Now he had the chance to take revenge and he would have fun doing it. " Close the door on your way out. I don´t want to scare anyone else".

**Living room**

The others were strewn across the couch and some even on the ground. That had been hard work to convince the neighbors that it hadn´t been a terror attack and that world war III hadn´t broken out. Jim had said that it had been probably a small earthquake that hadn´t rocked the earth but let the windows explode. Most of the people had believed the story, seeing as the Sheriff had told them that and who wouldn´t trust the word of the law? But now they were exhausted after putting the glass away and cleaning the rest.

Isabel sat on the couch with her eyes closed and her head resting on her boyfriends shoulder. She hoped that the next attacks wouldn´t hurt anyone else aside from them. It was bad enough to explain that one time, but not over and over again. " We can´t stay here, too many innocent people are sitting duck right now".

" What are you suggesting? Hiding in the desert and hoping that they don´t find us there?", Kyle replied sarcastically, wishing they would have a place they all could stay. He was scared for his family and the attack left him a little shaken. He wondered when he last felt safe in Roswell.

Max wasn´t so against the idea, knowing a place they could hide for a while. A place that no other than them could enter and no people were around. The only problem was that they would be trapped in there, cut off from the outside world with no electricity, water or bathroom. " We could go to the pod chamber?".

Tess shook her head, not happy with the suggestion. She didn´t want to spend any time somewhere with no window or toilet facility. It was one thing to go camping with the family, but she wasn´t staying at a spot where she had to pee in front of the others. " No. We have to find another place. Maybe Frazier Woods?".

" Possibility", Max was glad that he wasn´t the only one having to decide what to do. Now that they were all together again, they could keep a low profile until they had a better defense plan on their hands, which meant he would need Michael´s help. They had to be prepared to fight back or to at least keep everyone alive. Glancing around the room he finally noticed that someone was missing. " Where´s Liz?".

In that moment Michael came out of the bedroom, Maria crying at his side. He was more than just pissed, that was clearly visible on his face, but it was instantly obvious that the anger wasn´t directed at the girl in his arms. " I had been right. She was Lonnie and she tried to attack Maria".

Alex was immediately on his feet and with his best friend. He was worried about the girl, she was the only target right now and he was afraid that one day nobody would be able to protect her. Looking in her sad green pools, he saw something there that was making his heart clench in affection. " Are you okay?".

" I´m fine", Maria tried to smile at her friend to reassure him that she wasn´t hurt. But the words from Lonnie were still ringing in her ears and she wondered how she could stop Michael from getting himself killed. She was so sick of needing a bodyguard all the time and she was tired of feeling so helpless.

Michael gritted his teeth, reading her thoughts and not being very happy about the direction her mind was making. She couldn´t seriously believe the garbage from the evil bitch. She wasn´t a liability to him, just on the contrary, she was making him stronger because she gave him the strength he needed, she was there supporting him and her faith was making him believe that he could do everything. " Just stop it. I won´t let you leave my side. I need you with me".

Maria stepped out of his embrace and walked closer to the others. She couldn´t concentrate on her thoughts when he was near her, invading her privacy and snooping around in her head. Besides she had to keep the future from happening, because it was apparent that Michael wasn´t in it. She would not the reason for his death. " Stop reading my thoughts!".

" That´s exactly what she wants, she´s trying to tear us apart with her lies!", Michael was shocked about the reaction, feeling a panic attack coming at the way she was staring at him. He was stunned that she was trying to pick a fight with him, just after they escaped another attack.

Maria was slowly moving towards the door, her mind spinning with pictures she didn´t know. It was like being trapped in a nightmare, just that she was awake and everything could be happening if she didn´t stop it. She couldn´t stand the noise in her crowded head, making her afraid that she was going crazy. " I don´t want to see you die. I can´t bear the thought to lose you because I´m too weak to take care of myself".

Michael noticed that she came closer and closer to the door and even before he could read her intentions, he knew what she was trying to do. She was two seconds away from running away and the idea that she could be out there without any protection was making him scared shitless. " You´re not weak. Please listen to me, I can´t stand to have you out of my sight".

" I´m sorry, but I can´t stay here", before anyone could react she whirled around and opened the door. Not even Michael had a chance to use his powers to stop her from stepping out. Thankfully her escape was hindered form a person having stood in her path.

The woman was surprised about getting run over after she had barely missed getting arrested for driving too fast. She had almost fried her car in her haste to get here to make sure that her daughter was just as unharmed as her boyfriend had told her. " What the hell is going on here?".

Maria looked up and was shocked to see a familiar face. " Mom?".

TBC


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10 Weakness in me **

Amy Deluca wasn´t your typical Mom and she thought of herself more a friend to her daughter than a respects person, but the last twenty four hours had stolen her good humor and she wasn´t sure what she should believe any longer. Like it wasn´t bad enough that Jim called to tell her that Maria had been in an accident at the Crash Down and she was lying in the hospital, no she got ordered to stay where she was. She didn´t know what pot her boyfriend was smoking, but she was sure that she should take it away from him immediately, because if he thought for one minute that she would leave her child alone after having found out what really happened via the news he was seriously crazy. And to top of all four police men had shadowed her like a criminal, which had made her more worried about the safety of her daughter than her own. Thankfully she still had a few tricks up her sleeve and she had been able to lose her tail after a while.

" Can you maybe explain to me what the f**k is getting played here? And I hope for you that you´re not going to lie to me; young lady or I will beat the shit out of you in front of your friends".

Maria and the others behind her visibly relaxed at the famous Deluca rant; no alien could copy that vocabulary and the gestures with it. Feeling a small boulder falling off of her shoulders, she threw her arms around her mother and cried on the cashmere sweater she had brought her to her last birthday. " I´m so glad that nothing happened to you. I had been so worried when Jim couldn´t reach you".

Amy pressed her daughter closer to her, feeling some of the anger disappear at the physical contact. She had endured horror vision on her drive to Roswell and she almost crashed into three cars in her hurry to get to her child. She was afraid that her past was finally catching up with her and her daughter. " I can say the same about you. I had been frantic when the doctor said that Jim has taken you home for safety measurements. Thankfully I knew you would be probably with Michael and my first stop had been here. I´m so relieved to see you alive".

" Don´t do that ever again", Maria was barely holding onto her sanity and thankfully the noises in her head had quieted down. The need to escape was gone as well and she was sure that Vilandra had planted something in her mind to make her react like that, because she couldn´t explain her reaction any other way.

" _I think you´re right. Lonnie did something to you and I´m glad that you´re still here. You scared me to death"._

Maria calmed down enough to stop crying; she had really needed to break down for a moment to concentrate on the task at hand. One problem solved and the others would be solved as well. Now that her mother was with her she could finally focus her attention on taking over the Liz part of their group. Thinking rationally about the situation and finding the best solution. Pushing herself away from Amy, she gasped when she saw the man standing slightly apart from the group. " Dad?".

Andrew Deluca was a tall man with dark hair and green eyes. He was built like a cupboard and the Armani suit looked like it was made for him. The gold chain around his neck appeared as expensive as the golden watch around his wrist. But the most outstanding feature was the scar over his right eye. " Yeah angel, it´s me".

" What are you doing here?".

Anthony motioned for his men, which had been standing behind him at the four Hummer vehicles, to keep an eye on the surroundings. He knew that it would take a little longer to explain everything and a lot longer to get his daughter to listen to him. " What do you think? I heard my daughter got attacked twice and I was instantly on my way here to make sure that nothing was attacking you a third time".

Michael was about to say that he was too late for that, when he got told to keep out of this. In return he suggested that they should have this conversation inside the apartment and not in the middle of the front yard, where everyone could see them. Hearing the mental sigh from his girlfriend, he realized that the worst from her outburst was over. " Why don´t you come on in".

" Good idea, maybe than someone can finally explain to me what´s going on here and why I have a feeling that this attacks are tied to the lies my daughter has been feeding me since last year", Amy wouldn´t leave this place until she knew what the hell happened in this town when she was away. It was one thing to imagine how the holes were coming into her Jetta or the missing parts sometimes, but now that Maria has been the one getting hurt she wanted answers.

Maria swallowed visibly, knowing that she was in deep trouble. Turning to the aliens she hoped that they were able to dish out some good story for her mother, because she wasn´t gonna say anything. She wanted to stay in Roswell and not get shipped into some mental institution to check her in for shock treatment. " Sit down Mom..and Dad".

Amy glanced warily around the room and she noticed the worried expressions the kids were wearing. Meeting Jim´s gaze, she felt the tension in the older man, which made her realize that something bad was going on, something that could get her child get killed. Carefully taking a seat besides her boyfriend, she glared at Michael, sure that he was behind all this. " Why are you all here? Are you in danger? Is my daughter in danger?".

" Ms. Deluca, there´s something you don´t know about me, Isabel and Max, something that could get us all killed if the wrong people know it. I wish I could tell you the truth without making you a target as well, but I can´t, so I hope you believe me when I say the less you know the better for you".

Amy crossed her arms over her chest and her gaze seemed to be burning Michael with the intensity of a lava flow. Then her eyes swept to her daughter, already seeing the first sign of her nervousness in the form of her bouncing leg. She knew that there had been something going on behind her back, she wasn´t stupid. But until today, she hadn´t cared, because she had thought hat Michael would never let anything happen to Maria. Turning her attention back to the boy, who had broken her child´s heart, she refused to give in. " But if it´s involving my daughter I have a right to know. She´s all I have and I won´t be in the dark when she´s clearly in danger".

Anthony watched the kids with hawk's eyes, wondering what deep dark secret they seemed to be carrying with themselves and how he could protect his daughter from those evil bastards seemingly after her. " Are you dealing with drugs? Weapons? Jewels?".

" No, we´re not dealing with anything. It´s much more complicated than that and it would take too long to explain", if the situation wouldn´t be so dire, Max would have laughed about the accusation from someone that looked more the type.

Maria was still in awe that her father was there with her, after all the time she hadn´t heard any word from him and now he was standing behind her mother, appearing like he was really worried about her. She couldn´t wrap her mind around the fact and she was sure that it would take her a little bit longer to grasp it. " What kind of question had that been? Do we look like some drug dealer?".

Anthony gave his daughter a stern look before he thought about not answering that question. That girl was so much her like her mother that he was rather amused about her outspoken nature. It was reminding him about a younger Amy, so full of life and trying to change the world. " Then who´s after you?".

" Evil people, who would love to see us all dead", Tess jumped into the fray, not liking the way the strange man was quizzing them. She had been quiet until now, but after having not realized that Vilandra had been able to fool them all, she was rather on the safe side from that point on.

Anthony didn´t like the fact that his daughter was in the middle of this conflict, she wasn´t built to withstand a full blown battle with probably men twice her size. Rubbing his forehead, he decided to offer his support, knowing damn well that his ex wife would surely blow a gasket as soon as he would open his mouth. " I can get you any weapons you need, traps, bullet proof cars or even if it´s just a safe hiding place".

Amy frowned at him, not in the least happy about what he wanted to do. That had been the reason for their divorce, because he had been in the middle of dangerous business with evil creatures. But in that instant, she didn´t mind the offer as much as she would have been before Maria had been attacked. If it would help her daughter to stay alive to see her next birthday, then she wouldn´t object. " It would be best if you would get them everything. They need a place they can stay to make plans to prevent another attack. They probably need weapons to defend themselves and traps to warn them from intruder. The only question is, how long does it take for you to get hold of it?".

" As soon as I know what they need, my men will mobilize immediately and I can get you everything tomorrow evening at the latest".

Maria watched the interaction between her parents and she was stunned to see them so peaceful with each other. The last time the both of them had been in the same room, the walls had shaken from their insults, even though she had been still a child, she had known that a divorce was an improvement for them. " Okay Mom what´s going on with you? You hate weapons and illegal business, especially the ones Dad is involved".

Amy was still not the fond of the plan, but she couldn´t just watch her daughter getting threatened from bad people and possibly even killed. She hadn´t fought so hard to provide a nice home for her child to sit by while Maria was in the middle of something dangerous. " I just want you to be well protected, even if you´re alone. You can´t expect to be surrounded by someone all the time and I don´t want you unprepared. You´re father didn´t teach you the handling of a gun for nothing".

" What? Wait, what the hell are you talking about? I can´t follow the conversation.", Michael didn´t understand anything anymore. Why did it seem that Maria´s father was the boss of some men in black gang? Why was he here now and most of all what did Amy mean with the teaching of the gun at all?.

Maria bit her lip, not knowing how much she could reveal and how much was too much. Exchanging a glance with her father, she saw the faint nod from him, which gave her the green light to tell them all the truth about her heritage, it wasn´t something to be ashamed, but it wasn´t something to brag about either. " My Dad is part of the mafia in Chicago, so I´m the daughter of a mobster in the third generation".

Kyle jumped to his feet and startled everyone in the room. He pointed a finger at her and his face was glowing like that from a kid in Willy Wonka´s Chocolate factory. " I knew it. Your moves hadn´t just had been adrenaline and watching your neighbor doing his kung fu mumbo jumbo. I knew that there had to be something else".

" I can´t believe it, my girlfriend is a gangster chick", Michael finally realized why he had sensed something dark, but not evil clinging to the older man. It was explaining a lot about her. He had always wondered why she knew so much about illegal activities, she had more knowledge about breaking and entering than he did.

Anthony didn´t like the boy, especially knowing that he was probably sexual involved with his daughter. But at least the guy looked strong enough to protect his girl, so he wouldn´t complain, maybe let off some steam with his ex wife. " Yeah be glad that she´s not just some normal chick or she would have been dead, seeing as no one had been there to guard her".

Maria instantly saw the way Michael´s jaw was moving angrily under the skin and she was sure that he was two seconds away from exploding. Taking his hand she let a little of her serenity flow into him. There was no need to start a fight. Anthony was her father and although the last time she had seen him was a decade ago, that was still true. But before she could tell that to her boyfriend, the door to the bedroom flew open and Mike stepped out with a grim expression, which brightened as soon as he spotted someone he hadn´t seen for a while.

" Grandma!".

Amy glanced behind her to make sure that the boy was really talking to her and not someone standing at her back. Surprised she realized that he indeed meant her with that and she shot a stern look at her daughter and then to Michael, who was still glaring daggers at her ex husband. " Okay, that´s it. Somebody tell me what´s up or I will really get violent here. I feel like I stepped into the Twilight Zone, just that I can´t escape it".

Maria felt the grip from Michael tightening and she was afraid he would crush her hands with his strength. Pulling her poor limb out of his grasp, she pointed at the aliens. They could take the stage and explain to her mother why her daughter was getting attacked. " Ask them. I have to have a word with Mike".

" You can´t just leave", Michael pleaded with eyes, not wanting to be left alone with Amy Deluca and her murder aim. He had a lot of stuff that could really hurt him if she would decide to beat him with it. And her father was a mobster; he probably had enough people who could get him six feet under if he said the wrong thing.

Maria patted his cheek without replying anything and pulled Mike with her back into the bedroom. She had to worry about other things, things she couldn´t talk about openly with her parents present. As soon as she stepped inside the room, she was hit with the smell of burned flesh and blood. Seeing Vilandra lying on the ground, she could guess where the odor was coming from. " And did you get any important information from her?".

Mike sighed, averting her hopeful gaze. That evil bitch had been trickier than he had thought and now he was sporting some nice burn on his back. He shouldn´t have assumed that just because she was cuffed that she was defenseless. Unfortunately he had needed to kill her before he could come to the juicier stuff. " No, nothing that could be helpful for us".

" Dammit!", Maria slumped on the bed, her face buried deeply in her hands and her whole body sinking in itself. The weight of the last days was too much for her and it was apparent that she was way over her head in this. She wished she was like Liz and could think rational about everything. But all she was able to was the worrying about her best friend and if she was even still alive.

Mike sat down besides her and for a moment his arm hovered over his mother. He was still hesitant to touch her, afraid that he could get used to it again. But then he thought that he would probably not get back in his time when he did his job really good, so he would enjoy every moment with her. Wrapping his arm around her, he put his head on her shoulder. " I´m sorry Mom. I really wanted to help you".

Maria dropped her hands from her face and she glanced at her son at her side. He was sounding like small boy having done something terrible. It was still strange to think that he was her child and then with someone she despised. But she found it stranger that she didn´t feel uncomfortable in his presence. " I know. You did well. We just have to find some other way to locate Liz".

" And you will. I have faith in you".

Maria saw the same shining in his eyes and she knew that she had done something right with him, even though she couldn´t get into her head that she willingly had sex with Khivar. That man wasn't exactly what she called a loving person and after what she had heard so far a man with no feelings at all. " How did I end up with that monster? Or am I not allowed to know that?".

Mike sighed. Serena hadn´t prepared him for this; hadn´t told him how much he could tell and how much he should keep to himself to protect his mother. But if he wanted to avoid to have her going through the same misery, he had to be honest with her; explain to her what brought this all on. " In my time, the commander killed Vilandra when she tried to attack you. Khivar found that out and killed Liz in return. Max went ballistic, throwing himself in dangerous situations and risking his life. Michael wanted to protect his brother as best as he could. He sacrificed himself for Max and you never recovered from that loss. You and Max were at war most of the time and no one could change something. But when Alex, Kyle and Jim got killed, you and he stopped fighting, at least long enough to make a new plan. You gave everything up to protect Max, Isabel, grandma and the Granolith. I personally think you were tired of your life without the commander and just went into the lions den to die. Unfortunately he didn´t kill you like you expected and he made you his mate instead".

" Just the four us are left in the end?", Maria didn´t want to picture herself losing everyone she cared about. No wonder she went to Khivar willingly. She got nothing left to lose anymore. Fighting the need to cry, she promised herself to change it. She wouldn´t lose anyone, not as long as there was still life in her.

Mike sensed the sorrow in his mother and he couldn´t imagine what she must feel right now. It had to be hard to hear that everyone she loved would die and she got to live a life without them. But then he thought about watching her die under his watch and he realized that he knew what she was going through, because he had lost everything as well. " Now it´s just three".

Maria lost her small battle with the tears and a few dropped from her eyes. She couldn´t bear the thought to lose them so earlier. She would outlive most of them and the image was too painful for her to put into words. She had to make a difference this time. She had to stop Khivar from killing Liz, stop Max from killing Michael and stop them from killing her. " We have to do something to stop this future from happening".

" How? Lonnie is dead and as soon as Khivar knows that Liz will be dead as well", he would do everything to prevent his mother from experience the most horrible years in her life if he could. But he had made a huge mistake, a mistake that could be the catalyst for the downfall of the royal four.

Maria couldn´t, no she wouldn´t accept defeat so early in the game. There was always a backdoor to everything; they just had to keep looking harder for it that was all. She had to talk to the others and they had to find a solution together. Max and Michael finally had to learn to work with each other instead of against each other and she would teach them, even if it would be last thing she did. " We could make him believe that we´ve got Vilandra as a prisoner with us?".

Mike was glad that his mother wasn´t someone giving up so easily. That had been one of the things that had made him so proud to be her son. No matter how dire the situation, she had always fought her way through it, that had obviously been something that she hadn´t lost. " And how do you want to get it across to him? Call him?".

" Now don´t be silly", but she had to admit that it was a better idea than everything she had come up with. Rubbing her face, she was momentarily confused when she heard low music playing and it sounded strangely like it was coming from the corpse at their feet. Bending down to the dead girl, she touched every part of her body to find the source of the noise. Detecting a small bump, she put her hand in the pocket of Lonnie´s jeans and pulled a cell phone out of it. Without checking the caller ID she put the phone to her ear. " Hello?".

" _Dammit Vilandra! You can´t just disappear like this! Where are you?"._

Maria was slightly taken aback from the verbal attack and she glanced at Mike with confusion. She couldn´t identify the voice, so she was sure that it wasn´t Rath or Nicholas. The only other explanation was Khivar, but she was sure that he wouldn´t just call here. " Vilandra is busy right now. Would you like to leave a message?".

" _Who is this? Where is Lonnie?"._

Maria noticed the way Mike was cringing at the sound of the voice and she finally had proof with who she was talking about. Repressing her urge to laugh at the irony of the situation, she tried to think quickly about a plan, a plan that was involving finding out where her best friend was and how they could get her back. " Lonnie is a little bit tied up at the moment and that literally. She made a mistake by coming here and trying to kill me. Now we have to teach her a few lessons about breaking and entering".

" _Mhhm, you're Maria, the commander´s bitch. I knew that you had more fire in you than the others give you credit for. It´s a pleasure to speak to you in person"._

" I wish I could say the same about you, but my mother told me that lying is wrong", Maria gritted her teeth at being called bitch again. Why was every evil creature throwing those insults at her. She hadn´t done anything to them, she was just in the background and they were attacking her, like she started with everything.

" _You´re funny and smart and you know how to protect yourself. I like that. Maybe we should meet, just you and me. I´m wondering how long you´re gonna last with me until I break your spirit"._

At that Maria lost her cool composure and she didn´t care that her son was in the room or that her parents were sitting next door and could hear everything she would fling at the monster on the phone. " Listen you son of a bitch, I will kill you. No matter how long it will take, but I will be the one putting an end to your life".

" _Language sweetheart. What would Liz think about your bad mouth"._

" I swear if you just as much as breathed wrong on her I will personally send you to hell".

" _I don´t have a use for her, so don´t worry. Too bad that I can´t say that about my men. They really like her"._

Maria felt the hand with the phone trembling from the rage inside her. She couldn´t bear to picture her best friend; getting used as a sex toy for those filthy scumbags and to fear for her life. She felt guilty, because it should have been her. " Where is she? I want to speak to her, to make sure that you haven´t killed her yet".

" _She´s still alive, but that´s just a matter of time. And you can talk to her when I spoke to Vilandra first. I have to make sure that you haven´t killed her yet"._

Maria´s panic emitting eyes met those of her equally shocked son. She knew that they were in deep trouble now, because Lonnie was dead. Fear was crawling up her spine and she knew that she just had seconds to think about some back up plan or Liz was dead.

TBC


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11 No easy way out**

Mike was instantly alarmed, afraid that his father already suspected that Vilandra was dead already. He hadn´t really cared about the alien girl that much and he was sure that his father was just asking for her to test them. Feeling his heart almost bursting through his chest and sweat forming on his upper lip, he tried desperately to think about some way out of this. Pacing up and down the room, he swore when his brain wasn´t exactly helping him find something.

Maria was slightly getting nauseating from watching her son walking from one side to the other. Snapping her finger to get his attention she mouthed the words that he could get Isabel before concentrating on the phone in her hand again. " Why should we kill her? Don´t you have faith that she can hold her own? Besides she´s more valuable for us if she´s alive".

" _I know the commander and I know that he wouldn´t take it too lightly if someone would attack his mate"._

Maria hoped that Mike had understood her intentions and that Isabel was ready to pretend to be her evil dupe. Most of all she hoped that Khivar was falling for their trick, just long enough to get Liz out of his grasp. " Yeah, but he also knows that we need her".

" _Then why don´t you put her on the phone to ease my worries?"._

Maria was sweating bullets and she almost bit through her nail, wishing that she wouldn´t be so scared and could make up a plausible lie for that bastard. Thankfully she was spared having to stutter through some line with the arrival of Mike and Isabel. " Okay. Vilandra why don´t you say hi to your lover".

Isabel startled at the name for a moment, not wanting to be linked to her evil twin or to the person she had been a long time ago. She had needed a while to get over the guilt of what she had done in her past life. But she knew that she had to bite back her fear in order to help, so she breathed deeply before opening her mouth. " Get me out of here, you bitch. Khivar will take revenge for me, you filthy human".

" So you heard her, now I want to hear something from Liz", Maria was impressed about the venom in the alien girl's voice. She really believed the performance and she wasn´t someone that could be fooled easily, at least not with bad acting.

" _I want to talk to her"._

Maria knew that he was trying to trick her. He got the evidence that his lover was alive and then he would cut the connection without giving her the change to make sure that her best friend was still able to talk at all. " No. I want to talk to Liz first. After that you can knock yourself out with Lonnie".

" _You´re betting really high. Aren´t you afraid that I will see through your bluff?"._

Maria saw the slight fear in Isabel´s eyes and she realized that her friend was scared to talk to Khivar, in case he could realize that she wasn´t the real deal and just the replacement. Walking towards the girl, she took her hand to take a little away from her worry. They would get through this; they just had to stick together. " No, because I would sacrifice Liz in a heartbeat if it would mean that I could protect Michael".

" _That´s not really nice, but I believe you. Hold on a second"._

Maria wiped over her mouth to keep the bile in. She was glad that Isabel was still grasping her hand or she would have already lost her composure. Relief flooded her, she hadn´t known if he would buy the bullshit. She just hoped that it wasn´t some trap from him and he knew that she wouldn´t sacrifice her best friend like that. Listening for a moment to the silence of the room she almost smiled when she heard the commotion outside. Her mother was pissed and it was directed at Michael. It sounded like her father was trying to step in between them to prevent from anyone getting hurt.

" _Hello?"_

Maria felt her legs buckling under her at the scared, timid question at the other end of the phone. She was so glad to hear the familiar voice that she slumped on the ground to make sure that she wouldn´t just crash, because she wasn´t positive that her legs wouldn´t give up on her. " Oh god Liz".

" _Maria? I´m so happy to hear you"._

Maria listened to the broken sobs of her best friend and she cursed Khivar for taking her away from them. She would kick his ass from one spot of the universe to the other side. Smiling slightly through her own tears, she wished she was with Liz right now, so that she could tell her that everything would be alright again and that they would find a way to get her back. " I can say the same about you. How are you?".

" _I´m terrified and tired, but otherwise unhurt. But I can´t stay longer here, I´m so scared"._

Maria closed her eyes, her heart going out to her friend. She felt useless and guilty for not being able to help. She needed Liz right now, but she was sure that Khivar would kill her if she would confess something too obvious. " I know, but we´re getting you out of there. Max and Michael are already making plans. Just hang on there for a little while longer, we just need to find out where you are and we´re coming to get you".

" _I wish I was at our old meeting point, you know the one where you broke your leg two years ago. It was the best summer of our life´s"_

" I wish the same. And we will get there as soon as this is over", grinning widely, Maria felt new hope. Liz just revealed the location to her. She finally knew where they were holding her best friend. It was the old copper mine in the desert; the old thing had been abandoned since the early thirties or something.

" _Do you promise?"._

Maria wanted to reply something when she heard ruffling in the background. Seconds later the phone seemed to get passed over to someone else. Exchanging a worried glance with Isabel, who was holding her middle like her arms were the only thing keeping her together, she saw the same confusion. " Hello? Liz?".

" _Sorry I had to interrupt that nauseating conversation before I would have puked my guts out"._

Maria actually growled at Khivar; hating him for just interfering. But then she thought about his stupid face when Liz would suddenly go missing and he would have nothing to hold against them any longer. " You can´t just do that. It´s rude".

" _Like I care about that. Now give me Lonnie"._

" Do I sound like I care? I think not", closing the connection she took the cell phone and threw it with all her might at the wall opposite her. Watching the small thing splintering in millions different pieces, she jumped to her feet.

Mike didn´t even flinch at the loud noise following the collision. He knew that it wasn´t an act of violence, it was just that his father wouldn´t call again. It was a smart move, but not exactly the best way to ensure Liz´ life. " What´s our next plan of action?".

Maria turned her attention to Isabel, who was still staring at the broken cell phone on the ground like it was a bomb seconds before exploding. The girl probably still hadn´t realized that her past lover had been calling. Stepping closer to her, Maria put a hand on her shoulder. " Are you alright? Should I get you some water?".

" I´m fine. It´s just a lot to take in, I need a moment to let it sink in", Isabel was afraid, but not of Khivar, no she was afraid to become what she had been in her past life. She didn´t want to be responsible for getting everyone killed again. Her greatest fear and now it had caught up with her.

Maria knew that feeling and she would have loved to give her the time to digest the whole episode, but her best friend was in dire need of a rescue and now that they had to location of the hiding place from Khivar, they had to act fast. She didn´t know if the bastard hadn´t already planned to ambush them again. " Mike you stay with her, I will tell the others what I know and then we´re starting our mission impossible".

Mike was speechless how his mother took the commando and he was slightly grateful for the phone call, it had given her back some of her hope. She had needed a small success and it was a familiar sight to see her in control once more. " Yes ma´am".

" Are you certain that you´re not Michael´s kid?", she murmured quietly, in awe how much he was like her spaceboy, aside from the different looks. She could swear that they were one and the same. Shaking her head, she left them alone and stepped out of the door. The sight that greeted her looked like straight taken from the Saturday Night live show.

Her father was sitting on the couch, his head shaking from one side to the other. Here and there he was giving Max dangerous glances, which turned deadly when they were directed at Michael, who was desperately trying to avoid getting beaten to death from the magazine her mother was slapping him with while Jim and Kyle were making an attempt to calm her down. Tess meanwhile had a lot of fun with the situation and ate an apple with relish. Alex kept as far away from the fighting as possible and seemed to be waiting for someone to put an end to this.

Maria had to do everything to repress her amusement. Michael, a legend on his planet for being ruthless and lethal was scared of her mother, a woman who appeared tougher than she was. Her mom just wanted to protect her child and she overacted a lot of times, but in truth, the woman had a soft spot for her spaceboy. "Hello, could we maybe act for a moment like civilized people? Mom stop hitting Michael, just calm down".

" Did you know what you were getting yourself into when you hooked up with him?", Amy dropped her weapon and let herself get restrained tenderly from Jim. She didn´t want to imagine her daughter in danger, especially like people from the FBI. Aliens, she should have known something like that. This town was slowly driving her crazy.

Maria exchanged a loving glance with Michael and he instantly picked up her message. Walking towards her, he stepped at her side to face everyone with her. Taking his hand, she felt him relax at the contact. She knew that it hadn´t been easy for him to confess something so huge to other people and she loved him for doing it. " Of course, I knew from the beginning".

Amy couldn´t deny that she was worried about her child being with an alien, even though he hadn´t done anything to give her reason to mistrust him, aside from breaking Maria´s heart. But now she finally understood what her daughter meant with destiny and that Michael had to be with someone else. " What made you trust him or them?".

" Max saved Liz in the Crash Down because he loved her, Isabel wanted to keep pretending to be normal so that her family wouldn´t realize that she was not and Michael, he just wanted to find his place in the world. They´re human just like us, maybe even more so".

Michael and Max were stunned about the words and even more so when they still had the picture from her first encounter with them in their minds. Maria had been a little intimidated and scared of them. Now she was defending them, she was standing at their side as an ally not an enemy.

Amy realized that if she wanted to avoid a fight, she had to accept that those children were aliens and that her daughter would give her life for them. Thinking about the last two years, she couldn't remember one moment when she had thought that Max, Isabel, Tess or Michael had been a danger to her or her family. And Jim was risking his job just to protect them and he was usually a good judge, which meant he wouldn't put his life out there if he wasn't positive that they were harmless. "Fine, I'll get used to it someday, but don't expect me to change my mind over night".

" I didn't expect anything else from you", Maria was relieved that her mother hadn't reacted like her when she had found out that aliens were real. Smiling at the others, she glanced at her boyfriend, switching immediately to their mental communication.

" _I know where Liz is being held. Take Max and Tess, go into the bedroom and prepare a plan to get her out of there. I will take care of the human firepower with the others"._

Michael wasn´t so happy about leaving her out of his sight for any amount of time, because every time he was away from her, something bad happened, but he also knew that it was necessary. She would want him to make sure that her best friend was back with them and Max would probably agree with her.

" _How did you find out where Liz is?"._

Maria shrugged, not wanting to waste too much time with explaining everything. Liz needed them right now and the sooner they would get in gear the sooner she was with them again. And after she had been so rude to Khivar, she wanted to have her best friend out there was fast as possible. " Go. Isabel will probably tell you the whole story. I'll take care of everything out here".

" Fine", Michael wasn't exactly thrilled to have lost this small battle with her, but he was sure that he would find out how she got the information sooner or later or even from his almost sister. " Max, Tess, bedroom. I've got news".

The two alien hybrids didn't ask what the news were, they immediately jumped to their feet and followed after their friend, knowing that it was probably important. Nobody else had noticed it, but they had realized the silent communication between the couple and they had realized that it was something that Maria didn't want to share aloud with the others.

The remaining humans in the room instantly glanced at the retreating backs of the aliens until they were out of sight. It was very obvious that something had been happening and that it was slowly getting serious. Alex, Kyle and Jim quickly sat down on the couch, knowing that the countdown was running.

" Okay, what did I miss?", Amy didn't like the feeling she was getting. Looking from her daughter to Kyle, Alex and Jim and back again, she sensed that something was going, something that would probably get her child in danger again.

Maria ignored her mother and put her attention just on her father, who had been rather quiet the whole time. She knew that she had to do something that she swore she would never do. She had to ask him for a favor, a huge one at that. " Dad, I need machine guns, bear and laser traps, bullet proof cars, a laptop, cameras and aluminum bats. Oh and the keys to the cabin up at Frazier Woods".

Anthony couldn't be prouder to be the father of such a smart young girl, even if he wasn't exactly thrilled to see her in any kind of danger. At least she didn't cower in some corner, but took matters in her own hands. She was truly his and Amy's daughter. "Traps? Bats? What are you fighting? Baseballs and bears?"

" I know it sounds a little strange, but believe me, we will need all those things. Can you get them for me?", Maria wanted to have everything as soon as possible, so that they could start with their mission. They had already wasted too much time already and it was finally time to hit those bastards back.

Anthony sighed, wishing her daughter would ask him for something else. And yet he nodded his head and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, talking in fast Italian to someone on the other end. It sounded like he was arguing with the person, demanding a favor. Standing up, he paced the length of the room while he dialed another number.

Maria understood most of the words, realizing that he was pulling a few strings for them and risking his position with his people. She was grateful for his help, hoping that maybe this situation was helping their relationship a little. Maybe they could keep in contact after that and he could finally manage to explain to her why he stayed away all those years. Turning to Alex, she had another sudden thought. " Hey, is it possible to program a trap via a computer?".

" Of course, I can do that. We connect the cameras with the computer and when someone tries to intrude, we will know it immediately and the traps will take care of the problem", Alex felt slightly insulted by her question. She was really not listening when he talked about his favorite hobby, although he had to listen to her ranting about what a bad boyfriend Michael was everyday.

Maria smiled at him, knowing exactly what he was thinking. From now on she would finally start listening, even if the topic was boring to her. Strange, since she knew that almost every of her friends would die, she wanted to put more effort in the friendship and enjoy every moment with them. "I'm very grateful that you explained it so that lil´ old me can understand it as well. As soon as we're changing locations I need your help to set the cabin up. I don't want any risks".

Everyone in the room glanced at her like she had grown another head. It was an odd sight to see the girl in such a control mode. Jim saw the change in her with growing worry; he feared that her connection with Michael was influencing her more than it was good for her. He understood her need to protect her family and her friends, but she was just a child.

" Whoa Deluca, who died and made you king?", Kyle complained, ignoring the deadly glances he received from his girlfriend and his soon to be stepmother. He hadn't thought that there was something more troublesome than listening to King Max giving orders, until now.

Maria threw him a dangerous glare and it didn't take too long before she was pulling him off his ass and was getting in his face. If someone didn't think she was capable of taking control then she had to prove it. She had to put her foot down and she would do it over and over again until everyone believed that she had to potential to lead them. " You're either with me or against me and I suggest to choose your side careful or you will regret it! Don't mess with me, not now!".

Kyle swallowed visibly, knowing that it wasn´t such a good idea to wake sleeping dogs. For a moment he had forgotten why the girl was still feared by the basketball players. It wasn´t very healthy to piss her off, especially when it was about her family or her friends, she was pretty sensitive about that. " I´m with you, you know that. I was just kidding".

" I´m sorry. I think this whole ordeal is finally getting to me", Maria rubbed her face, noticing the lack of sleep and the stress taking a toll on her. The connection with Michael wasn´t helping her either, which was still adding to her highly emotional state. The guy was a walking time bomb since the attacks and it was slowly leaking into her state of mind.

Amy instantly was at her daughter's side and pushed her down on the couch, warning the girl with her finger to stay put and went into the kitchen to make a tea for her child. All this worrying and the attacks were just too much, especially for someone as delicate as Maria. Shaking her head she wondered when she stepped into the twilight zone and how she could manage to get out of it. Waiting for the water to boil, she got some teabags and cups, realizing with amusement that her daughter had more influence on Michael than she had thought possible, because she didn't know any young man with herbal tea in his cupboard.

Maria wasn´t sure if she should be irritated with her mother for treating her like a child or moved that she felt the need to take care of her, but it was hard to be angry with the woman that was just trying to get her mind off the fact that aliens really existed and were friends with her daughter. So she repressed her sarcastic comments and sank deeper into the cushion of the couch, giving into the urge to relax for a moment.

" Hey sweetie, I have to go, take care of a few things. Get a little rest and I'll try to be quick", bending down Anthony gave his daughter a kiss on her forehead before walking out, not even noticing the sharp look Jim was sending after his retreating back.

Amy chose this moment to come back, two mugs of hot tea in her hands. She didn't even spare the closing door any attention too busy with fussing over her child to realize that someone had disappeared from the group. " Now you drink this and let the others take care of the problem".

Maria smelled the unmistakable scent of the special herbal mix and she instantly felt calmer. She wanted so bad to take a break and just let the others worry about everything, but she knew she couldn't, not as long as they were still in danger and her best friend in the hands of their enemy. " I know you mean well Mom, but a tea won't stop me from getting involved in this".

" This is not your fight".

Maria shook her head, refraining herself from slapping the teacup on the table. Her mother was wrong, this was as much her fight now than it was that of those aliens. Khivar had gotten Liz involved, attacked Isabel and Max and he was in the process to kill anyone she loved, that was personally for her. That bastard was attacking her family and that made it her business. " Mom, I know it's hard to believe, but I´m involved in this one hundred percent. You always told me that I had to stand up for the things I believe in and now that I´m doing it, you want me to back down? That doesn't sound like you".

Amy sat down besides her daughter, putting her arm around the younger girl and stroking her hair. She always had imagined that Maria would be coming after her, loud mouthed and trying to change the world all the time. But this chaos was just to dangerous for her child and she didn't want to lose her. " I just don't want to see you dead. You're everything I have and I want to protect you".

" I get that, but you can't keep me out of this, not anymore", Maria felt a small part of the burden on her shoulder drop from her. The caressing of her mother was doing her good and she had missed that. It had been hell to be sneaky with her mom and lying to her every time she opened her mouth. Hopefully that would change from now on.

Amy sensed that Maria was relaxing more and more in her embrace, feeling their mother-daughter bond springing to life again. It had been hard to realize that her child was growing up and having a complete secret life behind her back. She just hoped that now that she knew the truth that it would change between them. " Okay, now that we're so quietly sitting side by side, you can explain to me why that boy called me grandma".

Maria grimaced at the thought to tell her mom about her son. It was weird, even for her standards. So she was grateful to be able to escape this conversation when she heard yelling coming from the bedroom and her barely awakened motherly instincts kicked in as soon as she noticed that Mike seemed to be in trouble. " I'll tell you later. I have to make sure that those aliens don't kill each other".

Getting on her feet she escaped the safety of the other room or rather to be away from her mother's prying eyes. Closing the door tightly behind her, she was shocked to see Max and Michael screaming at each other while Isabel made a poor attempt to step in between them. Mike was standing slightly aside from the fight and shot her a relieved glance.

" What the hell is going on here? Is it too much to ask to let you two in the same room without world war III breaking out?".

Max was the first to step back from his brother and keep quiet, staring at Maria with guilt. He knew that it was childish what they were doing, but he was worried about Liz and he wanted to have her back, immediately. " Ask him", pointing at Michael. " He's the one starting it".

Michael snorted while he crossed his arms over his chest, glaring angrily at his friend with fierce determination. He wouldn't back down from this argument, not even his girlfriend could keep him from that. His words were final and he wouldn't allow any interference from anyone else. " With good reason. You can't just go in there and expect to be out in seconds. Khivar is more protected than that and Liz will probably, too. I won't let you go and that's it".

" But you're not going in as well. She's my girlfriend, hence my responsibility", Max held against the other man, not swaying an inch from his position, even though he was sure that they were wasting valuable time right now.

Maria didn't understand what the problem was, but she was positive that it would take a long time, time they didn't have, to come to an agreement with them. " Okay, what's the problem exactly?".

At that Mike stepped into the fray, sick of hearing the other two getting at each other's throat. No wonder they hadn't survived his father the first time and even the second time. They were rather having the fight with another and not with the enemy. " I can shift us in Dad's hideaway, but just with one more person. Michael doesn't want Max to come with me and Max doesn't want Michael to come, so we're at an impasse".

" We don't have time for your usual cat fight", Maria was more surprised about the fact that she was surprised about their obvious normal behavior, she should have known that they couldn't work together, not even for the sake of the group.

Max and Michael shifted their gaze in her direction, stunned about her commanding tone and the steel behind it. They weren't used to hear her so forceful and strong, she was most of the time snappy or bitchy, but never so in control, it was a turn on for Michael and a relief for Max.

Isabel wished she would have the strength to keep it together like her human friend, but she was still shaken about the phone call from Khivar. Well it was mostly the familiarity and the longing she had felt to be near him. She was afraid to fall back in her old role as princess and to get her family killed again.

Tess meanwhile was witnessing everything from the background, tired of the fighting among them. Even though she couldn't stand to be near Liz, she didn't want the girl to be in the hands of their enemies, not even her deserved it, but she knew that nothing would happen as long as nobody would put their foot down and take the lead.

" Okay, you know what, you can do whatever you wanna do, but I will do everything in my power to get my best friend back, with or without your help. Grow up already", Maria turned around and slammed the door on her way out, startling the other people in the living room. Fuming she stalked past everyone else and went outside, where she let out some loud scream.

The aliens in the bedroom felt bad for their actions, knowing that Maria was right and that they should finally behave like adults and not children. They sat together and tried to find a solution without getting at each others throat and considering every option from everyone.

Mike meanwhile sought out the company of his mother. He worried that she was taking too much on her shoulders and that she wasn´t ready to take the lead. He forgot that she was still a teenager, even younger than him. He just knew the older version from her, the hardened woman that was keeping her feelings bottled inside and suffered in silence. As much as he loved the woman she was, he didn't want her to end like that again. He wanted so much more for her. " Hey is it okay if I stay with you?".

" Of course", Maria hated that her feelings were so out of whack right now. She felt like crying, punching someone and breaking down at the same time. The whole situation was taking a toll on her and she wanted just a moment of silence in her head. She was barely holding onto her sanity and she wasn´t sure how long she still could play the act.

Mike wrapped his arms around her and took some of her weight. He thought he would change something by coming into this time. But all he had managed was to make her more miserable. Putting his face on her shoulder he was stunned that she smelled the same, some fruity scent with a touch of cedar. Until now he hadn't thought how much he had missed this. " I´m so sorry".

Maria should have felt awkward with hugging her own son, who by the way was even older than her. But the only thing she felt was comfort, a feeling she only had with Michael. He made her feel safe and protected. Pulling slightly back to look at his face, she was surprised to see his eyes glistening with unshed tears. " For what?".

" For not stopping Dad, for damning you to this life with that man and for not making it better".

Maria cupped his face with her hands and for the first time she felt a real connection with the boy, for the first time she saw in his soul, saw the future from his perspective. She startled when the pictures flowed into her, showing her scenes from his childhood, his coldhearted father, her tear streaked face, listening to his parents fighting, tending to her wounds when she lost the battle against her husband. She finally realized why he came back. " It's not your fault, nothing of it. It was my choice, you didn't have anything to do with it. Don't ever think anything would have been different without you".

Mike shook his head, not able to believe those words. If it wouldn't have been for him, Maria would have lived her life with her friends and her mother, safe and semi happy. But instead she had to endure the torture of being married to a man that didn't have any feelings, aside from hate. " I don't want you to end like that again. I will change the future and if it's the last I'll do".

" I know you will and we're starting with it right now. You and me we're shifting into the copper mine, get Liz back to her family and then we'll prepare ourselves for this war, together", Maria knew it would get her in a lot of trouble with certain people and she wouldn't even be alive to regret her decision, but someone had to take action immediately and she didn't trust the others to be quick with their conference.

Mike stepped back from her, not in the least happy about the suggestion and hoping that she was just joking. She couldn't be seriously think he would take her with him to the man that would be her murderer in the future. Even if she was his mother, she was really crazy to say that to him. " No, absolutely not. You stay right here and let the others handle the situation".

Maria was annoyed that everyone was trying to keep her out of the action. She wasn´t so defenseless like they all thought she was and besides, she wouldn't be alone in this. She was protected from someone that loved her as much as her own mother did it. " You've got two choices. Either you help me get into the hideaway of Khivar or I will find a way alone in it. And believe me I will find a way in".

" You're not playing fair", Mike was angry with himself for giving up so easily. But the thought that his mother could try to sneak out alone without anyone at her side was more frightening than to be there for her and make sure that nobody could harm her in any way.

Maria knew she had won this round and a small part of her felt slightly guilty for using him like that. Stepping closer to him, she put her arms around him, hoping that this shifting wasn´t painful or anything like that. " I will feel bad about it later".

Mike rolled his eyes before he prepared himself to shift. Picturing the spot he wanted to land, he tried to get a feel for his surroundings. Seconds before they disappeared he saw Michael coming out of the apartment and he was sure that there was hell to pay when they would come back again.

TBC


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Michael should have known that it had been a mistake to let her leave his sight for just one moment. That woman was a menace for her and others. She would be one day the death of him, if he didn't do anything to protect her from herself. Rubbing his face, he went back inside to give the others the bad news. As soon as he threw the door close with so much force that it almost crashed out of its hinges, the remaining people in the living room knew that something bad had happened.

Jim was instantly on his feet, realizing that the absence of Maria wasn´t a good sign. The boy was always in her shadow, guarding her like dog and twitching at every movement someone made. " What's wrong son?".

" She's gone. She went against my orders to keep herself out of danger. When she comes back I will chain her on my bed and never let her leave this apartment".

Amy reacted to the fury of the boy who would become one day her son in law. She saw the worry and the anger in his eyes, knowing that her daughter just made a huge mistake by defying him, because he seemed like a person that was taking this a little too personally, which was even worse when it was someone that he trusted. " What do you mean she's gone? I haven't heard a car starting".

Michael turned to the woman he feared more than anything and he noticed that she was still in the dark about their powers. But he didn't have any time for some explanation, his mate was out of his reach and he felt anxious to not have the advantage of sharing a connection with her. The silence of their bond was scaring him. " Your grandson doesn't need a car to get from one point to the other, unlike anyone of us. Dammit!".

" Don't, he's not swearing at you", Jim put a reassuring hand on his girlfriends arm, having recognized the moment she wanted to open his mouth and complain about getting yelled at. He had immediately realized that the boy wasn´t talking to Amy in that instant, he was rather having a conversation with himself. " If she's gone, then we will follow her, we're getting her back".

Michael shook his head, beating himself up for just letting her escape like that. He had been a commander in his past life and now he was just a badly groomed boy, trying to weasel his way through this life. He wished he could remember being this great person, it would make him feel better, but unfortunately the only thing he knew was that he had screwed up there as well, which was the reason for them to die and get sent to earth. " How will you do that? We don't know anything about the hideaway. We could walk into a trap without noticing it. Do you want to risk your son or any of us to find that out?".

Jim knew the answer to that one, but it didn't mean that he could just leave Maria's safety in the hands of a boy that was barely old enough to vote. The girl was like a daughter to him and he didn't want anything happen to her. " What do you suggest? Sit back and wait for them to send us her dead body?".

" Of course not", Michael would have laughed about the irony of that conversation, which usually was starting between him and Max in that situation, if he wouldn't have been so seriously pissed at his girlfriend for just disappearing without him.

Max saw the struggle his friend seemed to be in and for a moment he felt that now the other guy finally knew how he always felt when they got into an argument about taking action or keeping a low profile. But no matter what, they were still brothers and he couldn't just watch this. " We all will think about the next step. We're all in this together and we have to find a solution together. We're a unit and as a unit we will fight back".

Everyone stared at him with surprise, not used to this version. It was most of the times Michael that was talking about fighting, but Max wasn´t like that at all. Losing Liz had obviously hit him harder than he had showed the outside. Even though everybody was scared about the upcoming battle, no one had the thought about running away, not even Amy Deluca.

**Copper Mine, Desert**

Maria fell gratefully on her knees on the hard and dirty ground. She wasn´t even sure where she was; everything was dark around her and she only felt the floor beneath her, but she hoped that they were at Khivar´s hideaway. Breathing deeply, she tried to get her pounding heart under control; her body wasn´t used to change one place to another.

" Are you okay Mom?", Mike was worried about her and her reaction. The human anatomy wasn´t made to shift through space like that and she didn't look exactly good, at least as much as he could see with the sparse light flickering somewhere in the distance.

Maria was relieved when the shaking in her limbs stopped and her vision started to clear again. Getting on her feet, she tried to cover her embarrassment by wiping the dirt from her pants. She hated to be so weak and that everyone felt the need to check up on her as soon as it appeared like she wasn´t strong enough to endure something. " I´m fine, just a little dizzy for a moment".

Mike had always admired her independence and her will to be able to take care of herself, but at times he had loathed it as well. She had most of the time taken too much on her shoulder and there hadn't been anybody to help her carry the weight. He had been too young to be of any use for her and he still felt guilty for that. " Don't try to be strong for me or the others, you don't have to be".

" I´m not starting to argue with you about this right now", Maria knew that she was overestimating her barely existent surviving instincts, but after seeing first hand how the future would look like when she didn't start fighting, she couldn't just sit back. Michael would risk his life to save his brother and she would do the same to save his. He came first, before her and before her friends.

Mike felt like he had done a mistake by showing her his world. She wasn´t ready to be able to bear the consequences of her actions in this time, the love she and Michael shared wasn´t his downfall, it was rather the fact that his loyalty was always staying in his path. " I just want you to be careful, alright. I don't want to lose you".

Maria took his hands and squeezed it. She had felt his pain when he watched her die and she wanted to prevent that from happening to him again. It was strange, but she felt like his mother, although that wouldn't happen for a while. Maybe it was just the mother instinct that every female on this planet had. " I´m careful. Now shut up, we need to find Liz".

" Can you sense her?", Mike wasn´t exactly sure which direction to take, everything looked the same to him. Even though he grew up in this place, it was hard to find out where they were standing in this huge labyrinth. There were a lot of paths and each and every one of them was leading to another spot.

Maria gave him a look that was clearly telling him that she was sure he had to have hit his head somewhere. She didn't have any special powers or gift to locate someone, she wasn´t an alien. " Hello? Human, remember".

Mike forgot that she didn't have any powers at this point, that she would get them later with her pregnancy. Sighing, he chose to use the usual way to find a person, namely looking for her. Liz had to be hidden in the area around the worker lockers, his father had usually used that place to keep his prisoner there, and they just had to figure out where the spot was. " Okay, stay behind me and keep quiet".

" Like I've never broken into a building", Maria mumbled annoyed. She had enough experience with Michael that she could sneak in and out of a bank without anyone noticing her.

Mike liked this other side of her, the playful and slightly childish streak that would break out every now and then. It was making a totally different person out of her, someone that was so far away from the woman he knew that it was hard to wrap his mind around the fact that they were one and the same at all, just with a few years apart. " I bet Grandpa is really thrilled about that".

Maria raised an eyebrow at his back, knowing that he couldn't see that, but she couldn't control her facial expressions, not even here in this darkness. " My Dad has been absent for most of my life, he doesn't even know me".

" I´m not talking about Tony, I´m talking about Jim"

That made almost stop in her tracks. She had always feared that something like that could happen one day, but now that she had the proof, she wasn´t so sure if she was happy for her mother or not. The Sheriff was on their side and he was always helping them, but that didn't mean she wanted to spend her spare time with him, too. " Oh my god! That means Kyle will be my brother! Damn".

Mike chuckled amused about her outrage about his uncle; considering the both of them were closer to each other than real siblings, at least in the future. He had heard a lot of stories about Kyle and the way he had supported his mother after Michael got killed. She had loved the conversations with her brother and his death had pulled the floor completely away from her feet. " It's not so bad, you told me a lot about him and it was very apparent that you have loved him".

" You're mean to tell me that, now I will fear the relationship between my mother and the Sheriff even more", Maria had a difficult time to keep up the talking and follow her son at the same time. The ground under them was uneven and she had problems to see anything in this hell hole. To top it all, she had to be quiet and be careful where she put her feet.

Mike smiled at her antics. She was fun to be around and he enjoyed to be with her. He would do everything in his powers to prevent her from losing all that was making her out; she would never know what it would feel to be alone or to feel so much pain that she thought she would never recover from that. " Don't be so melodramatic".

Maria huffed angrily before she slapped the back of his head or what she thought was the back of his head. With satisfaction she heard his small yelp of pain and she was happy that she had even managed to hit him. " Watch what you're saying. I´m still your mother".

" Ouch, some things never change", Mike rubbed the spot where his mother's hand had made an impact. She had some nice aim and it was apparent that it had been there before he was born. It was good to know that it hadn't been his more than reckless behavior as a child that had taught her to throw a punch like that.

Maria was glad that she felt like herself again; the distance to Michael and their weird connection was doing her good. It was like a little breather from something that was bugging her, although she loved the closeness they had now. But it had been slightly much for her mind to feel what he felt. " Do you have even a clue where we're going right now?".

Mike wasn´t sure if they were even in the right direction, but he couldn't say that to his mother. She would probably freak out and draw the attention of somebody to them, which was the last thing they needed at this point. " Of course".

" You're such a bad liar", Maria was once again stunned how alike her son was with Michael, who couldn't admit that he didn't know what he was doing either. If not for the looks, she could have sworn that it was his son as well.

Mike was surprised that she had caught him and he wondered if that was some women thing, because he had always believed it was a Mom thing. She had most of the time known when he was talking shit and he had been in awe how she had realized that. But maybe it was her that was able to do that. " Yeah, must be my honest genes".

Maria was in the process to tell him that it was probably his inability to lie he got from her when she heard voices coming towards them. Her son had obviously picked up the same and pushed her at the wall behind them. Hiding in the shadows they waited until the two skins passed them, both holding their breath and hoping that they were invisible to them.

" _The human girl is hot. I like the innocent looking kind"._

" _I´m more into the fierce one. Too bad that we didn't got the other human girl. She looked like she would be putting up a good fight"._

" _I think it's too bad that Khivar didn't allow us to play with our guest, I would have loved to find out how innocent she really is"._

" _Yeah, that sucks. Maybe Lonnie is back and we can have fun with her?"._

Mike was biting the inside of his cheek to keep himself from moaning in pain. His mother was digging her fingernails in his arm and it hurt like hell. He was glad that she hadn't jumped them like he had sensed she wanted to do, but that didn't mean she just could let out her anger on him. Breathing out relieved as soon as they were alone again, he pried the claws out of his flesh. " Damn Mom, you almost ripped skin off of my arm".

Maria glared after the two bastards and she fought hard to repress the urge to follow them to kill them slow and painfully. Closing her eyes she counted to ten in her head to get her furious feelings out of her system. Unfortunately it didn't help and she balled her hands into fists. She was so angry at the words from those low lives that she didn't realize that her palms were bleeding.

" Mom stop that", Mike could smell the unmistakable scent of blood and he took his mother's hands to loosen her tight grip. He hated to see her hurting herself over something that was part of the war. There would be always men taking advantage of a weak girl and he was just glad that it was his aunt and not his mother.

Maria finally snapped out of her trancelike state and stared at her son like she was seeing him for the first time. Looking down at her hands, she was stunned to witness Mike healing the small cuts with a wave of his hands. " You can heal? Can Khivar do that, too?".

Mike shrugged his shoulders, not having paid much attention to his father that way. He only knew that his old man could mess with anybody's head like it was just a sick game to him, which he had done a lot of times in his presence. Mike suspected that his father had done something like that to his mother, but he wasn´t sure. " He can't heal, at least as much as I know and I just can heal small bruises or cuts, nothing serious".

" Michael can do that as well, not so good like Max, but he had been able to heal me in the hospital", and she let out the sexual experience and the after glow. Her son was too innocent to hear such things, especially about his mother.

Mike was about to tell her that it seemed to be something every hybrid was able to do, when he heard the distinct voice of a female, a female that was sounding a lot like a scared human girl. He instantly knew that it was Liz as soon as his mother was standing up straighter. His father seemed to let his darker mood out on her; apparently his mom had a mistake by just throwing the cell phone at the wall.

Maria was immediately ready to run in the direction where she thought the voices were coming from. Unfortunately her son was having none of that and kept a firm grip on her arm, preventing her from storming into whatever situation there seemed to be. " Let me go. I have to help her".

" What you're going to do? I know Dad and believe me, he's not alone in there", Mike hissed angrily, not willing to let her risk her life for her friend. She could do whatever she wanted to do as soon as he was gone, but until then she had to be kept out of danger, which was funny seeing as they were here in the middle of the lions den.

Maria was taken aback from his expression; he was reminding her about Michael more and more. She wasn´t even sure anymore, if he was really Khivar´s kid, he was too much like her spaceboy that it wasn´t funny. " Then we'll try to get them out of there".

Mike pinched the bridge of his nose, slapping himself mentally for having followed her threat and got her in this mess. He was usually smarter than that and he could kick his own ass for giving into her. And to think that he was risking the fury of the commander by taking away his mate for this, he really needed to get his head checked. " And how do we want to do that?".

" Watch and learn, young yedi", Maria cleared her throat before she pushed her son as well as herself as flat at the wall as she could. Breathing deeply, she started to scream as loudly as she could. " You lying bag of shit! Where are you? Show yourself bastard!".

Mike was two seconds away from strangling his mother, knowing that it was his own death, too. But he would take that any day if that meant that he didn't have to be here with the most reckless person he ever met. No wonder Michael was such a tight walking time bomb, glaring at everyone even breathing wrong in her direction. " What are you doing?".

Maria put her hand over his mouth to keep him quiet, hoping that her plan would work like she imagined it. Bending down to take the first thing she could find, she pressed herself back at the wall again, just in time to see two soldier from Khivar storming out of some opening with weapons in their hands. Holding her breath she threw the object in the opposite direction from them and listened with satisfaction as it made a noise. Thankfully both men didn't seem to be the smartest and so they followed the noise.

" Don't do that ever again to me!", Mike growled, having almost wet his pants. Next time he wanted a little warning before she would do such a stunt.

Maria shrugged, not wanting to admit that she hadn't been so sure about her plan at all. She barely had repressed the urge to throw up and her hands were still shaking. But she would never state that openly. " It worked. Now we just have to deal with Khivar and we have to do it fast, we don't know how long we can keep those idiots busy".

Mike shook his head and gripped his mother's arm as soon as she made an attempt to walk over there. He would take her back right now and let the others deal with this situation. He didn't want his mom anywhere near that man, not now or ever. He wanted to change the future and not push it forward. " We're going home, this instant!".

" Sorry son, but that's not happening", wrenching her arm away from the tight grip, she ran towards the opening and her best friend. She would save Liz and she would make sure that the future as she had seen it would never happen.

Mike cursed at her stubbornness and her nature to take responsibility for the wrong things. Chasing after her, he cursed more when he realized that he would never get her before his father would discover them. Keeping in the shadows, he decided to stand guard in case the scumbag was trying anything. He knew that his father would never kill her, even if that thought wasn´t very comforting right now.

Maria stopped her run as soon as she stepped inside what looked like the former worker lockers. Liz was hanging lifeless at chains around her wrist, which had been put into the wall behind her. Her face was bloody, dirty and badly bruised. " Hey butthead, why don't you take on someone stronger?".

" Oh hello precious, I already expected you".

**Michael's apartment**

Max, Isabel, Tess, Kyle and Jim were ready to take on the action. Armed with their gifts and in case of the humans with guns, they were about to join the renegades under Courtney's control, which had been standing around the apartment building after the explosion. They were all still a little stunned about how many aliens were on their side, ready to fight with them and to die for their safety. They were especially loyal to Michael, who they would follow anywhere.

" I still don't know why I have to stay back with Alex. My daughter is out there", Amy was more than just unhappy about the situation, even if she could partly understand their logic. She was human, which meant not super powers for her, but she wasn´t so defenseless either, at least she had been married to a dangerous man and she came from a mobster family as well, so she was used to handle a weapon.

Michael finally realized from where Maria had her stubborn streak, her mother was just as headstrong. But he wouldn't budge from his position, not this time and not with Maria's life at stake. He wasn´t already so comfortable to have Jim and Kyle with them, but they were able to take care of themselves. " You would be just a liability for us. Besides you have to be there if she and Mike are coming back".

Amy folded her arms over her chest and pushed her back forcefully at the backrest of the couch. She wasn´t used to get ordered around from a boy that was half as old as her. One day she would get him for that treatment, just after she had her baby back in her arms again. "Liability, me! I´m more capable of kicking some ass than Kyle".

"This is not up for discussion, is that clear", Michael growled, not having the patience to get into an argument with his future mother in law. He was shocked about the way he was talking to the woman and he was also sure that he would suffer for that later. And yet he didn't care about any consequences.

Alex stepped between them, fearing that his friend would lose some limb for his stunt with Amy. He knew her a bit longer and he was positive that she didn't like to get yelled at from a boy that was as old as her own daughter. " Let's not start with fighting. We want to get Maria and Liz back, remember?".

Michael scratched his right eyebrow. He was a walking tension since he had realized that he couldn't feel Maria anymore and the thought that she could be in trouble without him knowing about it wasn´t sitting very well with him. His inside was nervous and his hands hadn't stopped shaking like he was some drug addict on cold turkey. Opening his mouth to apologize for his behavior, he was interrupted from the appearance of two people out of the blue. "What the…..".

"Here take her, I've got to get back", Mike pushed the slightly out of it Liz into the arms of the next best person, which happened to be Max. He didn't want his mother in the presence of his father any longer than it was necessary. It had already been too hard to leave her with that man, knowing that he had expected her to come.

Michael was sure that he would regret to waste time, but he couldn't just let the boy leave without him. He needed to be with Maria and he didn't care about his own safety or that he would let his family alone. " But not without me".

Mike knew it was probably for the best to take him, but he couldn't risk anyone else, especially someone his mother loved more than anything. Besides he would be too busy with saving her that he couldn't concentrate on something else. The rescue of his mother was more important to him than offending the guy. " Sorry, you're staying here".

" No I´m not!".

Mike closed his eyes, being positive that he would suffer the consequences of what he was about to do later. Pulling his arm back, he punched the man his mother had been mourning for so long with so much force that he stumbled back and almost crashed on the ground. Thankfully Isabel had reacted immediately and could prevent her brother from falling on his ass. " I´m sorry, but I´m not just trying to save my Mom, I want to prevent the same from happening again".

Michael held his jaw, hoping that nothing was seriously damaged or there would be hell to pay. He didn't care that this boy was the son of his mate or that he had just done that out of the good of his heart, he couldn't just let him get slapped around. Moving his jaw, he was grateful that he didn't feel some real pain aside from the ringing in his ears and the slight dizziness " You son of a….".

Mike glared at him, daring him to finish the sentence and say anything about his mother. He would punch his lights out again, but after he had gotten his Mom out of her bad situation. Grinning at Michael he prepared himself to shift back into the mine. Unfortunately nothing happened and he stayed at the spot in the middle of the living room, surrounded by everyone. " F**k"

" What is it?", Amy didn't like the look on her apparent grandson's face. It was making her edgy and she didn't like that feeling, especially with knowing that the life of her daughter was meant in that cursing.

Mike had experienced something like that just one time and he couldn't stand it as much as it had then. And again his mother was somewhere involved, being in trouble and he wasn´t able to help and again his father was the source of it. He should have known that this man would expect someone with his power and take precaution. Sadly it was too late now to change anything, his mother was trapped with Khivar. " My father is blocking my powers. I can't get inside the mine again".

That statement was followed from silence and the realization that they just signed Maria's death sentence.

TBC


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13 **** Wish I had an angel**

_Mike had experienced something like that just one time and he couldn't stand it as much as it had then. And again his mother was somewhere involved, being in trouble and he wasn't able to help and again his father was the source of it. He should have known that this man would expect someone with his power and take precaution. Sadly it was too late now to change anything, his mother was trapped with Khivar. " My father is blocking my powers. I can't get inside the mine again"._

_That statement was followed from silence and the realization that they just signed Maria's death sentence._

**Same time another place**

Maria stood opposite Khivar, who was still staring at the empty spot where Liz had been hanging a few seconds earlier. She didn't know what to expect now, she hadn't thought that far ahead and seeing as she was head over heels in deep shit, she regretted to have pulled this stunt. For once she wished she would have listened to Michael and stayed safe at his apartment with the others and let them handle the situation. Unfortunately it was too late to change anything. She just hoped that Mike wouldn't take too long to give her best friend over and come back to get her again, because she didn't know how long she could last against that man.

Feeling her heart pounding like an engine inside her chest, she tried to appear cool, calm and collected. Breathing through the panic, which was having her in a nice grip, she walked slowly backwards, trying to get a head start in case Khivar would attack any second. Sadly luck was not on her side and so she stumbled over something that was lying on the ground with a lot of noise. The fall on her ass wasn't very quietly either and in no time she was truly trapped inside this locker room, because Khivar closed every opening with a wave of his hand.

" You don't want to leave, do you? The fun is only about to start".

Maria scrambled backwards on all four, keeping her opponent always in her sight and watching him stalking her with strong and sure steps. She knew in that instant that she was seriously screwed if her son wouldn't appear in the next few seconds. " Sorry to disappoint you, but I've got other plans already".

Khivar stopped following her and started to laugh so loud that it was scary in the silence of their surroundings. His whole body shook with his amusement and it took a while until he had himself under control again. " I'm amazed about you. I can almost taste your fear and still you try to make an impression like you're not afraid of me. I have to give it to you, you're different than those other humans I tortured".

" I get that a lot. Must be my criminal genes", Maria touched the ground under her hands to look for something that could be of use for her. Feeling a rock, she took it tightly into her hand and kept it behind her back before finally managing to get back on her feet again.

Khivar smiled at her spunk and he understood why Rath was so obsessed with that girl, she was definitely special. He would love to break her spirit and make her his permanently, now that his Vilandra was dead he would need another queen to satisfy him. She should count herself lucky to get chosen. " I wouldn't do that if I were you. A rock won't hurt me, it just makes me more turned on".

Maria was stunned that he knew what she was about to do and she wondered if he could read her mind. Dropping the rock at her feet, she glanced around her to search the area for something she could use to hurt the bastard. Grateful she recognized that the workers had left some of their equipment behind and it was something that she could use as a weapon: A pickax. Unfortunately it was hanging at the wall behind Khivar and to get to it she had to make it pass him. " So it will turn you on when I fight you, he? Does that happen with every woman you're fighting with?".

" No, count yourself lucky. Everyone else would have been dead by now", Khivar was curious about her change of attitude. Her fear was slowly decreasing while a new emotion made an appearance, a feeling that was unfamiliar to him.

Maria was nervous as hell as soon as she walked towards him, making sure that her hips would be swaying a lot more than necessary. Stopping in front of him, she pressed her body so close to his that he could feel the swell of her breast and she felt something down south poking her. Trailing her finger up and down his chest, she stared in his awed face. " Then I should be really thankful that I'm still alive".

Khivar knew what she was trying to do and yet he didn't do anything to stop her. Mostly it was to see how far she would go in her need to protect herself and get the weapon behind his back, but a small part enjoyed the play. It had been just too damn long that he got laid in this body. " You should".

" What do you want me to do", Maria breathed in his ear, paying special attention to sound as sensual as she could possible manage, considering she was disgusted with that man. But she tried to picture Michael at the place and that was making it slightly better for her. Otherwise she wouldn't have been able to do this, aside from the fact that she had never done that before in her life.

Khivar felt the blood pumping in his lower region and he was really tempted to throw her on the floor to rip her clothes off and take her on the spot. But he was sure that she wouldn't make it so easy for him. It was all just a game and she was thinking that he was not realizing the fact. Bending closer to her, he stroked her right cheek before flipping his wrist and cuffing her at the same chains Liz had been in. " Do you really thought you could fool me? I'm maybe a man, who's after your flesh, but I'm not stupid enough to get myself played like that".

Maria wriggled her hands, pulling at the chains and trying to free her arms. The panic she had been able to repress moments ago was back in full force. She struggled against her bonds, even though she knew that it was no use, she would never get out of them of her own. " Please let me go. I'm just a human and not even very useful for you. Michael won't risk his family for me".

" That's where you're wrong. He would risk **everything** for you. I know the commander and I know that if he gives someone his heart, it's forever", Rath had been dying in a fight to protect his beloved Vilandra, who had been unfaithful to him in an attempt to escape the bonds of her home.

Maria stopped her fight with the cuffs when she noticed them tightening on her wrist and biting into her flesh. She knew that Khivar was right with Michael and he would probably be on his way here or had beaten her son to a bloody pulp for taking her away, which could be the reason why he wasn't coming back again. But she couldn't give this man the satisfaction of thinking he knew them. " Yeah, but he's not the commander anymore, he's just a boy trying to find a way back to his home planet. He already threw me aside for far less reason than this. So I think you're wrong".

Khivar stepped closer to her and sniffed at her throat. He took his time to follow a trail from her shoulder to her ear, where he came to a halt. With satisfaction he realized that she was just bluffing, because the scent of the commander was clinging to her, almost every of her pore was stained with his odor. " I can smell him on you, it's almost overpowering your own scent".

" Sex and emotions are not always the same. What can I say, he's a real stud in bed", Maria felt uncomfortable with him so close to her that she could even feel his desire. Closing her eyes she pictures herself at Michael's apartment, safe and warm on his couch with his arms around her and fighting about hockey vs. Vampire Diaries.

Khivar let his right hand wander over her hip, sliding behind her and grasping her bottom before going up and coming back to her front where he cupped her right breast with a firm but strangely tender grip. " So you like alien sex? I bet you do, there's nothing better than that".

Maria winced at the touch, even though it wasn't painful for her. But the thought that he was feeling her up like some hooker was disgusting her. Clenching her eyes tighter together, she spoke her mantra in her mind over and over again. _The others are safe, the others are safe._ Mentally she apologized to Mike, because he hadn't been able to change this future and he would be born into this depressing place with the son of a bitch as a father. " Can't talk about that, I never slept with a human".

" And you never will, believe me. After you taste the honey you never want anything else", Khivar pressed himself against her, enjoying the quick gasp of surprise from her and wondering how far she would still let him go. She had lasted longer than he had expected and it was such a joy for him to see that she was beating all of his expectations.

Maria felt his member poking her and she could quite clearly picture what would happen in the next few minutes. Even though she didn't want to think about him having sex with her, she knew that it was unavoidable, because she didn't have any strength to release her cuffs and fighting would just hurt her and make him hornier. " You either get it finally on or let me go. I can't stand this torture of hearing your voice".

Khivar chuckled amused at her witty comment. She would make a nice addition to his kingdom, the strong woman behind her even stronger husband. It would be a pleasure to see her friend's surprised faces when they realized she changed sides and was now his. The commander's reaction would be the most enjoyable. " Don't worry, the fun is about to start. But firstly let me get someone to join us", he turned his head over his shoulder. " Rath come on out. It's time to play".

" Finally, you don't know how long I've waited".

Maria finally opened her eyes again and fear was almost choking her. Crap, Crap and double crap.

**Michael's apartment**

Mike couldn't sit still for a moment, his leg was hopping up and down constantly and his hands were wringing together every second. His stomach was in knots and the bloody lip he had gotten from Michael was throbbing painfully. Not that he hadn't deserved the punch for endangering his mother, but the timing had been bad. Michael, Isabel, Tess and Max were out there with Courtney's men and talking about a way to get into the mine while he was ordered to keep the humans company. Alex and Amy were taking care of Liz, who was pretty traumatized from her time as prisoner. She was slightly distraught about the torture she had do endure, but thankfully the injuries had been healed from Max. It had been a shock to see the girl with so much blood and her skin blossoming in different colors.

" Stop that. You're annoying me", Kyle put a reassuring hand on the other man's thigh, preventing him from having to rip the limb off. Since the others were outside, the young boy had been nervously fidgeting. Even though it was no wonder, he couldn't bear the motion anymore before he would get aggressive and kill someone.

Mike glared at his uncle, not able to keep his bad mood under control and showing openly how it looked like inside him. He was worried about his mother and he felt guilty for screwing up something as simple as keeping his mother out of the grasp of that awful man and changing her life completely. " I'm sorry if I'm scared for my mother. You may not care about her safety, but I do".

Kyle shot his future nephew (although he didn't know that fact at this point) an incredible glance. How dare him for assuming something as cruel as that. Maria was like a sister to him and even if it didn't look like that often, he loved that girl. He never would want anything bad to happen to her. " You think you're the only one who loves her? Or cares about her? We all want her with us, but that doesn't mean we're going to start freaking out, because that won't help us or her".

" I'm sorry, I'm just angry at myself for getting her into this situation in the first place. I should have been able to keep her from pulling through with her stupid plan".

Kyle snorted at that statement, knowing for a fact that no one, not even Michael would have been able to sway her from her intentions as soon as she had put her mind to it. She was the most stubborn person he ever met and she was the one with the most caring nature, although that got her almost in trouble. " Believe me, not even Michael has managed to do that. You're mother has a head of her own and nobody will ever be able to change her".

Amy sniggered at the perfect description of her daughter. She knew that mostly it was her own fault for keeping the girl alone for too long and making her raise herself too early. But she was glad that Maria had turned out so good, at least to the point where she was involved with aliens, which was still strange to wrap her mind around. " She would have found a way to save her friend with or without you. She doesn't like the word impossible and she's always feeling responsible for the people she loves".

" Yeah and she get's in trouble if you're there or not. Well mostly she get's in trouble when Michael's involved", Jim put in, having spent quite a lot time with the kids to know all of their habits by now. Michael was usually the first one to take on action; Max was the one who always wants to play it safe; Isabel tried to pretend that nothing was wrong, Liz wanted to check everything out before doing something and Maria jumped into the situation without thinking it through, which actually made her the perfect match for Michael.

Mike felt himself getting calmer, knowing that there was a room full of people who cared about what happened to his mother. It didn't hurt that he could feel the connection with her flaring to life again, which gave him hope that it wouldn't end like the last time. Thinking about their bond, he was surprised that he hadn't realized until now that he hadn't been able to feel her. Before he could dwell too much about the fact, something landed with a loud thump on his lap and almost knocked the air out of him. " What the f..".

Kyle was the first one to recognize the lump on him, having spent a lot of times staring at the back of this head in class. He would know this blonde hair everywhere and he was sure that it wasn't some hallucination either. " Maria?".

" Please don't do it", was the mumbled response while she rolled herself into a small ball and protected her head with her hands. Her whole body was shaking in fright and her tears were soaking the jeans of the person she had landed on.

Mike instantly pulled her up and in his arms. Making sure to not startle her too much he cradled her tightly and stroked her hair, not even feeling embarrassed by showing his own emotions so openly. It wasn't weird to hold her like that, although it was usually the other way around , because they had done that a lot of times in the future, mostly after his father had beaten her. " Oh Mom, I'm so glad you're here".

Maria was momentarily confused where she was and if she was dreaming this all. It would be so like her to think she was at home with the others while in reality she was still trapped inside the mine, getting tortured from Khivar and Rath, both seemingly getting a kick out of scaring her. But the heat from the other body was too real and the smell of the apartment too familiar; she would have never been able to make that up, imagination or not. " Oh god, I made it. I made it".

" Yeah, you're safe", Mike kept caressing her back and trying to get her to calm down. The sobs wracking her was shaking him and he hated to see her in that condition. He wished he knew how he could help her to stop crying or how he could just distract her long enough to find out what he could do to make her feel better.

Amy instantly left Liz´ side and went to her daughter; the sick feeling had disappeared as soon as she had realized that Maria was back with them again. Unfortunately the girl was tightly clinging to her son that she was only able to rub her back. " It's okay, you're with us again. Nobody will harm you here".

Maria wasn't crying because she was glad to be away from those sick masochists, although that was a small part of her emotional outburst, no she was shedding tears because she had been able to look in Khivar´s mind and the picture she saw had been more than she could have handled. There had been no human emotion, not one ounce of anything that was slightly related to any feeling. That man was truly an alien. And then the things she learned about the royal four, how selfish and cruel they had been in their past life's.

" I will kill that bastard", Mike growled angrily, promising himself that he would let his father pay for pulling that stunt with his mother, nobody got away with making her cry, not even someone as soulless as the man who had a hand in his conception.

That finally snapped Maria out of her crying fit. Pulling back from him she shook her head at him. She didn't want him anywhere near that mine, she didn't want anyone in that area. They weren't ready to endure a battle with him or his men, not yet at least or maybe never, it would be like a suicide mission. " You don't go near him. We don't have any chance against his army".

Mike was shocked about the fear in her glance, a fear that hadn't been in there before. Something had happened while she had been trapped inside with his father, something that was so horrible that she was still afraid and his anger was hitting a new level. He didn't know what it was exactly, but he was sure that it was so bad that he would forget himself and do something really stupid. " What has he done to you?".

" Nothing you have to worry about right now. The only thing we have to think about is to get the hell out of this apartment before another attack hits us", Maria wiped the tears from her face and tried to appear like the worst of her outburst was over, even though her inside felt like curling up in a ball and waiting until this whole thing blew over. But she knew that it wasn't an option and she wasn't someone for the damsel in distress role and so she made an attempt to get some of the control back she had lost in that mine.

Kyle immediately got to his feet, not wasting more time with listening instead of doing something useful. Everyone was under one roof again and everything else would take care of itself; they were together and in his eyes that gave them some little advantage now. " I'll get the aliens and then we're gone. Anthony left two of his hummers with us that should give us some protection until we're coming to a safe place".

Jim stood up as well and followed after his son, not feeling very comfortable with the strange mood hanging heavily in the air. Besides he needed a little fresh air or he would go crazy with being cramped in this apartment for so long.

" I'll pack some food", Amy felt like she was out of the loop, like there was something going on and she was the only one not getting it. Her daughter wasn't one for crying so easily, there had to be something majorly before she shed any tears and according to the heavy sobs, something bad had been going on. And Amy couldn't handle the fact that she couldn't protect her daughter.

Alex glanced worriedly at Mike, glad that Liz had finally managed to fall asleep and missed the most recent drama. He knew that the shit had hit the fan and the storm that had threatened to appear had finally arrived in their midst. The time had come where they had to choose a side. " We're screwed, aren't we?".

Mike let his gaze drop down and he stared at the tired looking eyes of his mother. He wished he could tell them that everything would work out in the end and that no one would be harmed or hurt or killed. He wished he could assure them that they were strong enough to endure everything as long as they believed in themselves. But this was no Disney Movie where the hero always wins, this was real life. And the hero's in real life were most of the time the first one to die. " Not yet, we still got a few tricks up our sleeves".

" Are you trying to reassure me or you?", Alex hoped that he would survive this adventure so that he could thank his parents for loving him and for giving him everything he wanted, sometimes even more than he deserved. If he would be alive he would do a lot of things differently and he wasn't just talking about pushing his band more in the front.

Mike was disappointed that he had never gotten the chance to get to know his uncle; the guy seemed to be pretty cool. He was so sad about the fact that the only family member he knew in person where his grandmother and her nephew Sean. " I don't know what you're talking about. We are not screwed".

In that moment the door opened and Kyle with his father in tow came inside; their faces telling everything they needed to know. It was clear even before the young man opened his mouth what was going on. " The aliens are gone. They're on their way to rescue Maria".

" Now we're screwed".

TBC


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14 Sometimes you can't make it on your own**

Jim was so annoyed about their slight communication problem; those aliens couldn't just disappear without giving them a notice that they would be gone. As soon as the four were under the same roof as him he would beat some consideration in their brains or maybe he would teach them the rules of civilization. He was so damn tired, the last few days had been hell and he wasn't used to so much drama. Shaking his head, he wished he would have never complained about his desk job as Sheriff, which had been in his eyes totally boring. Now he would be grateful for some quiet time where he just could put his feet up and drink a beer while holding a conversation with Amy on the phone, trying to get her to talk dirty to him.

" We can't wait for them, we don't have the time for that. Now that my father has no advantage anymore he won't hesitate to kill us all. He knows where we are and I don't want him to target us", Mike was sure that his men were probably already on the way to them and he wanted them to be gone as fast as possible, before someone got hurt or killed or both.

Maria stumbled back on her feet, shaking her head like a stubborn little girl. She couldn't agree with their new plan. Either their all would go or no one, they couldn't leave anyone behind, especially not Michael. She couldn't just abandon them to save her ass, she wasn't like that. " No, we're not going without them".

Alex put Liz carefully in a comfortable looking position before standing up and putting himself in front of his best friend. He had been really quiet the whole time, because he had been sure that he wouldn't be able to throw something into the fray. But they had to think about their own safety at this point, even though it was hard for him to even think that. " We have to. Do you think Michael would want you to sit here like a duck, ready to get shot? He wants you safe. Those aliens can take care of themselves".

" You don't know what Khivar is capable of. He's expecting them, we played ourselves perfectly in his hands", Maria didn't want any of her friends to be even close to that mine, not alien or human alike. That monster knew everything about them, about any of them. He was aware of every habit, every mistake they made in their lives and every weakness. He studied the royal four and their human counterpart.

Mike stepped in front of his mother and he grasped her shoulders with a firm grip. He didn't like what he saw in her eyes, there was something there that really scared him, because it was like a déjà vu from his last moments with her. Her emerald pools had held the same terror as they did now. " Tell me what he did to you!".

Maria wrenched herself out of his iron grip and walked away from him. She couldn't stand to see his pleading look or the pain in his gaze. It was horrible enough for her to endure the torture, but she didn't want to burden her son with that as well. Besides she would get over it someday and hopefully forget most of it. " I don't wanna talk about it".

" Stop that! You can discuss this when we're out of here. Now we have to get a move on and we need you Maria. You're the only one knowing the location of the cabin of your father", Jim had realized as well that something bad had been going on with the girl, but they didn't have any time to get into a fight about that. And he knew that she would be talking when she was ready and not earlier, she was like her mother in that one.

In that instant Amy came back with a basket full of food and drinks. She had been listening to a few things from the conversation and she was worried about her daughter. She didn't want to imagine that anyone could harm her little girl to the point where she would change her behavior. " Okay, we're set to go. Kyle, take a few blankets and then we're gone".

Maria struggled against her instincts to follow them. She knew that it would be the right thing and Michael would want her to be smart and get out of harms way. And after her terrible minutes in the presence of Khivar and Rath she wouldn't willingly put herself in any danger to be with them again, but she couldn't just let her friends walk into their death like that. " We have to chase the others. We can't just leave them behind".

" We'll have to and I swear to god, you're getting in the car, even if I have to punch your lights out to do that. You're following my command now and I don't wanna hear anything from you".

The others and Maria were slightly taken aback from Mike's outburst. The boy had never raised his voice against his mother like that, at least not since he had told them that he was Maria's son. But they understood why he reacted like that and it seemed to work, because nobody said a word after that and trailed after the young boy out the door, keeping their surroundings in sight in case someone wanted to attack them. Slowly the group piled into the two hummers. Kyle, Liz, Mike and Alex got in the first and Amy, Jim and Maria in the other one. Making sure that no one was close by again, they started the cars and drove in the direction of Frazier Woods.

The mood in the first hummer was pretty calm, a little edgy because of the paranoid feeling that someone could follow them, but otherwise very quiet. Liz was still sleeping, probably too wasted from her time as prisoner to keep awake, which they all were grateful for.

Alex kept his eyes on his friend, wondering what they had done to her and how much it changed her. Liz wasn't like Maria, who could get over a hit like that with no difficulties, the girl, was more sensitive and she didn't just put away an attack easily.

Kyle kept his eyes on the side mirror to check that nobody was trailing them. He wouldn't admit it, but he was worried about Tess, Isabel, Max and Michael. They were his friends and they didn't deserved to get abandoned like that. But the life of his father and Liz, Maria and Alex was more worth to him than theirs and he felt really wretched about that.

Meanwhile Mike kept a steady glance on the street, feeling a little guilty for blowing up at his mother and using his fear of losing her as a weapon. When she had been gone, he had barely held onto his powers and he wished he could read minds to find out what happened in the time she was with his father and the moment she had appeared in the apartment. Thinking about that, he wondered how she had managed to escape the mine at all. She said she had no powers, but how had she been able to shift herself away? Had his father done something to her that changed her?

" Is it stupid that I feel like an ass for just leaving the other's behind?", Alex couldn't stand the silence any longer. The thought to lose Isabel because he was too scared for his own life wasn't exactly right. She had the same reason for existing than any of them and yet they had all been so eager to disappear to save their own necks.

Kyle shook his head while he glanced at his friend in the review mirror, seeing the guilt written in his face like he felt it was written on his own. Tess was not just his girlfriend, she was family and he was kicking her to the curb. " No, I feel the same way".

Mike groaned annoyed and rolled his eyes. All this angst and drama was slowly tempting his good humor. Those aliens had decided what to do without them, now they had to live with the consequences. They should have at least told them about their pan and not just risk their life's like that. " They're able to take care of themselves. Don't worry, they're tougher than that".

**Other vehicle**

Jim and Amy sat in the front, both worried about the girl in the back, who was leaning against the backrest with her head and seemed to be sleeping. They didn't know how they should act towards Maria; it was apparent that there had been something bad, something she didn't want to talk about. Amy was scared for her daughter, hoping that whatever it was, that she would find the courage to talk to any of them and especially to her.

" Don't worry, she's tougher than any teenage girl I know. She'll get through this, especially with so much people around that care about her", Jim took his girlfriends hand and kissed her knuckles, reading the concern in her face and knowing that a small part was mirrored in his own expression. Even though Maria wasn't his child, she felt like it.

Amy was glad that she found such a good man, someone that could make her most of the time overloaded brain keep quiet for a moment. He had been doing a lot for those kids and her daughter, almost risking his job for them and he was still doing it. He was truly one of the truest souls she knew. " I'm her mother, I will always worry about her. She's still so young Jim, she's barely a teenager and I fear that this situation is too much for her".

Jim glanced at the person in the backseat through his review mirror. He could understand those fears, more than he was comfortable with. But they were all in this if they wanted or not. No one had wanted to be in this position and yet no one had a choice anymore. It was do or die. " She's not alone. We're all in this together, just like Max had said. As long as we're a unit we will be strong".

" You're so sure about all this. Aren't you afraid that we're all going to die?", Amy couldn't believe the faith Jim had in those kids. They were all still children, thrown into very powerful bodies. How could they be strong enough to win against an army from a man that had waited almost fifty years for his revenge?

Jim would be sure that he would think like that as well if he wouldn't have seen the powers from those aliens first hand. They were so powerful, just not confident enough to test their full force. He was sure as soon as they found out how they could tap into their whole potential Khivar would be space dust. " No, because nothing is impossible with those kids".

At the same time that her mother was trying to wrap her mind around the fact that her life was dependent on four alien teenagers, Maria tried to get in contact with her boyfriend to warn him about the trap they were obviously walking into. Contrary to the beliefs of the two adults in the car with her she wasn't sleeping, just concentrating. She made an attempt to clear her head from all bad thoughts and memories that could leak into Michael's mind and show him exactly what had been going on in Khivar´s prison. She didn't want him to know, because she was afraid he would do something stupid and get him in trouble or worse killed. Breathing evenly she searched the area for his vibe, some sign that he was there.

_- come on spaceboy, where are you? How does this stupid connection even work, dammit! - _

Nothing in reply and she was getting frustrated. It was like looking for a station on the radio and the only thing you got was static. It was annoying and you were close to kick the hell out of the poor electric machine, just to make you feel better.

_- Come on pick up my vibe. If there was ever a time to use our vibrator power then it is now - _

Again absolute silence, aside from the driving noise which she still could hear. Getting ticked off with herself, she tried another tactic. Maybe he was just responding to her anger rather than her pleading. It would be so like them, but she was desperate and she would try anything at this point.

-_ Listen space bum, if you don't talk to me I will kick your sorry ass the next time we're together - _

_- Is that a promise, princess?-_

Maria almost cried from happiness at hearing his mental voice and the teasing tone in it. That meant he already knew that she wasn't with Khivar anymore and that in return meant they were probably on their way back.

- _I'm so relieved to hear you. Where are you?- _

_- We're on our way back to the apartment. As soon as I felt you again, I noticed we were driving in the wrong direction -_

For the first time she was so grateful for their connection, otherwise they would have been probably at the mine and in deep trouble by now. A huge boulder was falling off of her shoulders.

_-__ Don't go back there. We're on our way to the cabin my father owns in Frazier Woods. Meet us there-_

_- And how do we find this cabin? - _

_- Just follow our connection and you'll find us. And make sure that you don't have a trail behind you -_

_- Sure thing babe. See you later -_

_- Be careful Spaceboy –_

_- You, too. And I love you -_

_- I love you, too -_

Maria opened her eyes and the smile on her face was lightening up the whole space around her. It wasn't so normal that Michael was telling her so openly how he felt about her, but when he did than it was real and coming direct from his heart. However she knew that there was hell to pay as soon as they were together. The stunt she pulled and put herself in danger wouldn't just get overlooked from him, he would give her a piece of his mind and it would probably not so nice to be around for the others when that happened.

" What got you in such a good mood?".

Maria had almost forgotten that she wasn't alone in her room, she was indeed sitting in a hummer with tinted windows and so much horsepower under her butt that they could move three cars with it. Jim and her mother were glancing at her like she just lost the last of her remaining sanity. " I warned Michael. They're meeting us at the cabin later".

Jim nodded in understanding while Amy was confused about the statement. She fully turned around in her seat and stared at her daughter like she suddenly turned into a new species. It was all still new, but some things just sounded weirder than others. " How did you do that?".

" Our connection. We're able to communicate over distance, mentally".

Amy shook her head while she took on her original position. Her daughter was getting stranger everyday and she had to get used to this if she wanted or not. She shouldn't be surprised about all the information she got about the aliens, but every time she opened her mouth she found out something freaky. " Right, why didn't I think about that?".

Jim chuckled amused, feeling the lifted spirit and realizing how relieved he was to hear that his other kids were out of danger as well. He felt like some of the weight on his shoulders had just dropped off of him. " You will get used to this, I promise".

" Well I have to, because it looks like Michael becomes a member of my family real soon", which didn't bother her that much anymore. Her daughter could do worse. At least the boy loved Maria so much that he would move heaven and hell to save her. How many guys would do the same?

Maria was glad that her mother seemed to finally come accept the existence of aliens and that Michael wasn't just like any other boy that was telling her things to get her in bed and then to dump her as soon as he got what he wanted. It would make her life a little bit less uncomfortable, at least if they survived Khivar. " Uh Mom, did you inform Dad that we're not at the apartment anymore?".

Amy grimaced, having forgotten to do that in all the hectic. Rummaging inside her jacket she fished the cell phone out of her pocket and instantly dialed the familiar number to tell her ex husband that their handoff place had changed.

Jim and Maria watched her amused, knowing both that the woman would forget her head if it wouldn't be sitting solid on her shoulders.

**An hour later**

Liz was sitting on the couch, nervously nibbling at a sandwich Amy had forced her to eat. The older woman had taken up a spot besides the young girl to keep an eye on her. Although she looked better after she had slept a little and had gotten something into her stomach, she still wasn't over the worst yet.

Mike, Alex, Kyle, Maria and Jim had positioned themselves around the whole cabin, everyone at a window. They had thankfully found some pump guns and colts, which they instantly used to shoot at everybody daring to come too close to them. But until now the woods surrounding them had been relative quiet and slightly eerie, aside from the usual noises from the animals.

" They should be here by now", Mike had a strange feeling in his gut, fearing that the royal four had been stepping into a trap from his father. Everything was taking too long and he was nervous as hell.

Maria, the closest to him, heard the pessimism from her son and refrained herself from rolling her eyes. The aliens just wanted to make sure that no one was realizing where they were driving to; they just took a little detour to throw anyone that might have been following them off. " They will be here soon".

Liz kept a steady glance on her best friend, a little confused about the changed personality and the slight different attitude. And the fact that Mike was Maria's son from the future wasn't helping her in any form. There had been so much going on since she had been captured from Khivar and she was still reeling from it. Thinking about the hours in that dark place she shuddered when she remembered the endless torture from that cruel man, forcing her to tell him all about the royal four, invading her mind and rummaging in her memories. Cuddling more into the small blanket Amy had wrapped around her, she tried to make herself as small as possible.

" Guys, I see headlights", Kyle called from the second bedroom and instantly made his way to the living room where the front door was.

Jim followed after him a little while later and within a minute everyone was meeting in the biggest room of the cabin. Amy put her arms around Liz, who seemed to almost disappear behind the blanket while Mike took his place besides his mother. Maria meanwhile dropped her pump gun and went to the door, already having realized who was sitting in the car approaching.

Unfortunately Mike grasped her arm and forced her to come to a halt. He didn't want to take anymore chances with his mother, she was a trouble magnet and he had enough drama for a while. " You can't just go out there!".

" And why not? I want to make sure that my friends are alright, is that a crime now?", Maria knew that nothing bad could happen out there, Michael was outside and she couldn't wait to have him in her arms again. And nothing or no one was keeping her from that. Taking the hand that was holding her back from the reunion with her lover she ripped it off of her arm.

Mike almost lost his arm in the process, the strength his mother possessed was worrying him. She had said that she didn't have any powers, but this stunt was telling him something different. Either his father had done something to her or she was still feeding off Michael's alien abilities.

Maria glared at him for a few seconds before she finally opened the door and stormed down the stairs where she was immediately greeted from Michael, who was holding his arms out toward her. Jumping on him she forgot for this moment that she was supposed to be angry with him for just disappearing on them. Wrapping her arms tightly around him, she enjoyed to be with him again. " You found me".

" I will always find you", Michael pressed her small body at his, breathing in her scent. He had been frantic when he realized that she was gone and he would yell at her later for that, but this second he would savor this feeling of their connection intact and very much alive.

Maria smiled happily at the sappy line. She couldn't believe that she had always thought that he didn't have any romantic bone, but she was glad to be wrong about that. He just needed a reason to tell her nice things and she would relish this as long as it would last, because she was sure that it wouldn't last long. " Who are you and what have you done to my Spaceboy?".

Michael rolled his eyes, knowing that he should have kept his mouth shut. They weren't like Max and Liz, all love sick and sickening sweet, but they had their own kind of star crossed love going on, something that wasn't a crush or love at first sight, it had been slowly building over time and now it was indestructible. " Funny, Blondie, you can be glad that I'm in such a good mood or I would have spanked you already".

Maria got on her own two feet again and stared at him down. Putting her hands on her hip, she gave him the look of death. Now that she had made sure that he wasn't in any danger and unharmed, she could finally give him what he deserved. One arm shot forward and slapped his shoulder. " What were you thinking rushing into a serious situation without telling the others? You could have died!".

" Look who's talking! I told you to stay out of trouble and you went right into it! Care to explain that?", Michael felt a little better at the heated argument between them, that was more familiar terrain for him and he had every right to be angry with her. She had disobeyed him and he didn't like that.

Maria wasn't sure what happened, but suddenly there was such an intense furious feeling inside her that it scared her. She had never felt so much rage and she didn't know if it was her own mixed with Michael's or something complete different. Since she came back from the mine, something had changed. " We should go inside. I don't want anyone to see us here".

Michael was worried, because he had picked up the strange emotions coming from her and it hadn't felt like anything he ever sensed before. For a moment he had thought it was complete evil, but then fear had mixed into it and he was sure that he probably was just hallucinating things. The last two days had been really hard on them. " Okay, but don't think this conversation is over".

" Like I don't know that", Maria mumbled on her way into the cabin again, rubbing her temples. Her head felt like it wanted to explode and her stomach was reacting to it as well. As soon as she stepped over the threshold she went straight for the bathroom.

Everyone watched her with concern, not knowing what had been going on outside. Max was the first one to avert his gaze from the bathroom and walked towards the couch where Liz was sitting. Plopping down besides her, he was surprised and relieved when she slid into his arms. Jim and Kyle took a seat on the chairs and put on the TV, looking for a good football game, now that they had a little breathing room. Isabel was quietly talking to Alex, who was tightly holding her in his arms, both obviously glad to be with each other again. Just Mike, Amy and Michael were still glancing at the closed door where Maria had disappeared.

" Maybe someone should check if she's alright".

Amy shot her grandson a look that was clearly showing him that she had missed something. Her daughter was probably answering the call of nature, that wasn't anything unusual. And even though she didn't believe it herself, because she had seen the pain expression, she didn't want to imagine anything was wrong, not now that everyone was together again and they could relax for a moment. " I will ask her".

Michael was in the process to shake his head when he saw the deadly gaze from his future mother in law. Okay, he would be backing down for now, no need to get in more danger when it wasn't absolutely necessary. "Alright, I will search for something edible. Mike you're coming with me".

" Good boys", Amy liked that she had so much power over the boy and that he had enough respect to fear her. She would probably use it a lot more in the future and she couldn't wait for it. Still amused she went to the bathroom door and knocked. " Honey, are you alright in there?".

Maria stood in front of the mirror, staring at her hands tightly gripping the sink. Her skin was crackling with green flashes on her arms. Something was going on with her and she was afraid that she was turning into an alien. The flashes weren't painful, but they scared her. Then she heard her mother outside the door, asking her if she was okay. " Yeah I'm fine, just give me a minute".

Looking up, she was stunned when she saw that her eyes were black and lifeless. Panicking for a moment, she shook her head and splashed water in her face, rubbing furiously her eyes. After that she carefully lifted her head again, afraid what she would find there. Her heart was pounding wildly in her chest when she realized that her green eyes were staring back at her. Breathing out in relief she glanced down at her arms and saw that the flashes had disappeared, too. Taking a last look at her reflection, she wondered what was wrong with her. " What have you done to me, Khivar?".

TBC


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15 Eyes of a stranger**

Michael barely made it into the small kitchen area when a wave of panic was washing over him. Tightly gripping the edge of the worktop, he prevented himself from crashing down in the last second. He had never felt something like that, not even counting the years he had lived with Hank. Rubbing his chest, he made an attempt to get control of his strong pounding heart and the nausea feeling. He was so busy with trying to find the source of this episode that he didn't even realize that Mike was asking him questions and kept a tight grip on him. Thankfully the emotions went away as fast as they had come and so within a minute everything was back to normal and he noticed that everyone from the living room were standing there and glanced at him like he was on the brink to die.

" What?".

Mike didn't like the pale color from the commander. The guy didn't usually get a panic attack and it was worrying him. It was strange, but he had felt a small part of that panic and he had needed all his concentration to ban the bad feeling away from him. " Are you okay?"

Michael went to the sink and put a little water on his face. That had been the scariest out of body experience that he ever had and he was sure, that he never wanted to feel something like that again. It was so horrible to have no control over him and not to know what was going on. " Yeah, it's over".

" What was that?", Max was ready to use his healing powers to help his brother, but it was obvious that it wasn't needed, thankfully. But for a moment he had scared them all with the almost fainting act.

Michael leant against the work top and rubbed his face. He was tired all of the sudden and he just wanted to lie down for a while to get a little rest before the next alarm was ringing. It had been too long to go without sleep for him and his body wasn't in best shape to handle another attack. " Panic, I felt panic, but it wasn't mine".

Mike was the first one to realize the meaning of the statement. He turned his head in the direction of the bathroom, just in the time when his mother stepped out. Her face looked exactly like that of the commander, pale and in dire need of a good night sleep. It hadn't been Michael with the panic attack, it had been his mother. " Something is changing with my Mom. My father has done something to her, but she won't talk about it".

" What do you mean?", Michael didn't want to think about anyone harming her, because he couldn't bear the thought that he hadn't been able to protect her. She was with them again and he would do everything in his powers to make sure that she stayed that way.

Maria was confused and a tad bit annoyed that everyone was looking at her. Walking slowly towards them she mulled over what brought the sudden interest in her. For a second she was afraid that they had already realized that Khivar had done something to her, something that she didn't even know herself what it was. " What's going on? What are we talking about?".

Michael wasn't one for tactful or even subtle, so he cut straight to the point and didn't talk around the bush like other people. Putting himself in front of her and in doing so blocking her path in case she wanted to escape him, he slightly crowded her. He knew that she wouldn't talk to them otherwise. " What happened in the mine?".

" Nothing out of the ordinary. Khivar threatened me, tried to make me change sides and wanted information about the royal four".

Mike saw the fear in her eyes and he was sure that she was trying to hide what really went down with his father. She was lying and he was worried why she was doing it. Did she want to protect them or him? " Like I believe that bull. I know my father well enough, he's not that nice. So why don't you tell us the truth?".

Maria had finally enough from getting treated like she was some criminal. They had other worries at the moment and it wasn't her mental condition, which admittedly wasn't in great shape right now, but that didn't give them the right to interrogate her like she was the enemy. " Why don't you back off!".

" Look at how you're acting. That's not you", Michael cupped her face, trying to make her see what she was doing to him with her behavior. That wasn't the woman he fell in love with, she would never be cruel to someone she cared about and not without having a reason to be like that.

Maria realized that she wasn't herself and she felt bad for that. Closing her eyes she repressed the tears from appearing again. She didn't know what was wrong with her, but she didn't want to be this strange person, who was angry at everyone just for being in her presence, that wasn't who she was and that wasn't who she wanted to be. " I'm sorry, I just don't feel so good right now", opening her eyes she glanced at the others. " I know you're all worried about me, but you don't have to. Khivar didn't hurt me physically".

Alex found it very odd that she always stressed the word physically, which he thought was not reassuring to him. Mike told that his father was a master of playing tricks with the minds of others and that he could do more damage in that area than any injury inflicted on a body. He would talk to Isabel later when they were alone and ask her to take a look into his best friends dream. " Maybe you should lie down to sleep. You have to be exhausted".

" That's a good idea", Maria was grateful to have an excuse to leave, she couldn't stand the accusation in their eyes. She knew that something was working inside of her, but she didn't know what it was or if it was just temporary. Without looking at anyone she walked away from them and into the first bedroom she could find.

Michael wanted to follow her and demand that she told him what was wrong with her, but Mike held his arm to prevent him from going. He knew that it was the best for the moment; because he and Maria couldn't argue without fighting and this time it didn't look like it would be very helpful. And yet it was so hard to let her out of sight. Sighing he freed his arm and stomped angrily out of the cabin, feeling like he was about to explode and he wasn't so thrilled to that with so much people around him.

Isabel felt like she had to be there for him, like he would need someone to talk to. But she also knew that it wasn't her he needed to talk to, it was the small human girl that was like a sister to her, a human girl that seemed to need someone at her side to help her as well. " Max you take Michael and I'll see about Maria. Maybe she'll feel better if not everyone is crowding her".

" Maybe we shouldn't interfere in this. They're both stubborn and if we step between them we're the only one needing any help", Max wished it would be so simple with those two. If they weren't careful they would just make everything worse and that was something nobody wanted.

Isabel wasn't like that and her brother should know that fact. She just couldn't leave it like this with Michael and Maria. Both needed each other right now, more than ever and if whatever it was that was going wrong between them wouldn't get solved they could lose the connection. " You told something about being a unit, but if you don't do anything we can forget about that. Michael is our brother, he's in bad place and even if he doesn't know it, but he probably is in need of a friend".

Max glanced at Liz, who was still staring at the door where her best friend disappeared. The expression on her face seemed to be more than worry, it was sympathy. Whatever it was, they both went through it. He didn't want to admit it, but Isabel was right. " I think Liz should talk to Maria, though. And we both talk to Michael".

" I don't think Liz is in any condition to face this strange creature that had been my friend, she didn't even talk to us, what makes you think that she will do it with Maria?", Alex was all for helping his girls, but he wasn't sure if it was their best idea. His best friends had been through something so horrible that they couldn't even tell it anyone and he didn't want them to draw themselves more into their shells.

Max was just in the process to open his mouth for a reply when Liz turned to all of them and the dead look in her eyes had disappeared. It was like she was back again and aware of her surroundings. " Because she's my best friend".

Alex was relieved to see her back to normal, but he wasn't so positive if she had the mental condition to handle some darker and weirder Maria. She almost attacked Mike, her own son; she would probably be crueler to Liz. " Are you sure? That's not the girl we know".

" I'm sure. She needs me and she had been there for me when I needed her", her best friend had almost sacrificed herself to save her that was a huge evidence of the love both girls shared. They were like sisters and nothing was coming between them, not even some bastard trying to break them.

Max didn't feel so optimistic to let Liz go in there with Maria, especially if they didn't know what was going on with the blonde girl. But he also knew that no one could stop Liz from doing what she wanted, which was even worse when someone she cared about was threatened. " Be careful. Scream if you're in trouble".

Liz smiled timidly at him, glad that he wasn't still ignoring her existence after he caught her with Kyle in her bed. Maybe it was time to tell him the truth, well as soon as they had time to talk at all. " I will".

" Okay and we're looking after Michael", Isabel didn't waste any time before she dragged her brother outside. It was looking like the ice age between the former lovers was over and she wasn't exactly thrilled to see the beginning of the second spring for them.

Liz waited until they were out the door before she breathed deeply in to face her best friend who needed her help right now. She had heard every word, even though it hadn't quite looked like it and she was sure that she had already figured out what Khivar had done to the girl. That man liked to play with minds. Walking towards the door she knocked tenderly and then waited for a few seconds before stretching her head carefully in. " Are you already asleep?", she whispered, almost immediately choking on her words.

Maria was sitting on the ground, her face buried on her legs, which she had drawn back to her body. The skin on her arms was flashing in different colors and seemed to crackle with energy. The sobs shaking her frame were quietly but still noticeable.

" Oh my god", Liz instantly went to her best friend and wrapped her arms around her, not in the least afraid to touch the power laden skin of the other girl. Unfortunately it didn't just look like electrifying it was energy and she got zapped. Wincing in pain at the sting, she dropped in front of Maria. " Chica, what's going on?".

Maria looked up and her best friend gasped at the black lifeless eyes staring at her. Maria didn't know what was wrong with her, but she was so afraid. She felt her inside changing and it was starting to get painful. Her head was so crowded with thoughts that she couldn't think straight anymore. " Make it stop! Please I can't stand it".

Liz felt helpless and it was driving her crazy, she just couldn't ignore the pleading and she couldn't do anything, because was afraid to get zapped again. " How can I help? I don't know what's wrong".

" Knock me out with something heavy or kill me, I don't care. Just make it stop, please", Maria felt her heart accelerating with the flashing on her skin and she feared that her body couldn't stand the pressure. Her vision was blurry and sometimes she couldn't hear anything, her whole senses were out of whack and it was scaring her.

Liz was horrified at the suggestion and she was even more shocked to hear that from her best friend's mouth. She couldn't just hurt the girl she knew since they had been in diapers, not even for some stupid reason like this. It wasn't in her nature to be violent and she knew how dumb it sounded when they were so close to a war starting, but she wasn't so cruel. " I can't, I wish I could, but I can't".

Maria hadn't heard a word, but she saw the desperation in her best friend's gaze and she knew the answer. Wrapping her arm her middle, she tried to hold herself together. The pain got more intense and she didn't know how long she was able to bear it. Clenching her teeth together, she kept herself from screaming.

" Help! Somebody help me, please", Liz yelled as loud as she could, remembering that Max had told her that she should do that if she had any trouble and this situation was trouble with a capital T.

Seconds later the door got thrown open and Michael got carried inside from Max and Isabel. The others were trailing behind, everyone looking worried about the bad condition from two of their own. It was very apparent that whatever was happening to Maria just didn't affect her alone, it was affecting Michael as well.

Mike was scared shitless at seeing both of the strongest people in the group wreathing in pain from something that his father was doing. Ignoring everyone else he was immediately at the side of his mother and put his arms around her, even holding onto her while she zapped him. He cringed every time, but he didn't let go. " Mom please, snap out of it. Fight it".

" Silly boy, why fight against something that's inevitable?", Maria said in a voice that was cold and hard, making it more than obvious that it wasn't her doing the talking. The ice behind the words was unmistakable and everybody in the room stared at her in shock.

Michael, finally able to keep himself upright by himself, pushed the supporting arms away from him to get to his mate. He didn't want to believe that she was Khivar´s puppet, she was actually tougher than that. Putting his hands on either side of her face, he made her look at him, trying to reach deep inside her the part that was still her. " Maria, don't let him win. You're stronger than him".

Maria smiled at him and it was scarier than the slight exorcist expression she was doing. Her usual vivid green eyes were dark and empty, such a striking contrast to her normal appearance. It was twisting her beautiful features in an ugly mask. " Poor Rath, you're never able to get the girl in the end, always doomed to lose her".

" Please baby come back to me. I'm lost without you, you know that", Michael felt tears welling up in his eyes and for the first time he didn't feel ashamed to do that in front of his friends. He would sit here forever with her to get her back.

At that Maria's face changed into a sad expression and her eyes got lighter again, full of unshed tears. For a moment it seemed like she was back, but in the next second the angry mask was on again. Shaking her head she struggled with the fury building inside her. She felt like she was losing herself and she was more afraid of that than anything else. Fighting against the pull to let Khivar win, she collected every ounce of energy from her body.

Michael didn't like the fact that he couldn't do anything to help and it was paining him that she had to go through this alone. He would gladly trade their places with her, just to spare her this misery. Seeing her starting to bleed from her nose and her eyes, he got scared that she was hurting herself. Wrapping his arms around her, he opened their link completely. If she would die, he would go with her.

" What is he doing?", Isabel was two seconds away from interfering. She was worried about both of them, but she couldn't watch this. Michael was like a brother to her and she didn't want him to place himself in unnecessary danger.

Mike breathed a sigh of relief when he saw his mother calming down slightly from the connection. Michael would do everything to prevent her from dying, he wouldn't just give her up so easily. But as soon as the thought was finished, his mother started to convulse strongly and Michael had a few problems to keep her under control. " We're losing her".

Isabel, Tess and Max instantly walked towards the pair and stood around them in a half circle. Holding hands they showered them with their power, not even knowing why they were doing it and how they were doing it. But they felt like it was required and some sleeping part of them was finally waking up and taking action. The humans kept in the background and witnessed the strange happening in front of their eyes.

Amy cried silently while Jim was trying to comfort her. Kyle and Alex were too stunned to move a muscle and just prayed that they wouldn't lose anyone else, not after getting everyone together again. Liz sat at the wall close to her best friend, but not in the way of the aliens and stared at the spectacle.

" Listen to my voice, Maria. Come back to me".

Like she heard Michael's pleading, she slumped boneless against him. Max, Isabel and Tess immediately stopped sending their energy, glad that it was over. It had taken a lot out of them to handle so much raw power and it almost drained them.

Amy stepped away from Jim to get to her child, wanting to know what was wrong with her and if she was alright. But the moment she moved forward a white light appeared in the room and blinded everyone. As soon as it had come it was gone again and aliens as well as humans just dropped on the ground like stones.

TBC


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16 Damaged**

Mike opened slowly his eyes, slightly confused what had happened and where he was. Sitting up he glanced around and startled when he saw the desert stretching for miles in every direction. Big rocks, sand and huge boulders everywhere he looked. Getting to his feet, he wondered how he got here and where the others were. For a moment he freaked, because he didn't know what was going on and what was up with his family, but then he remembered that he could easily check that out. Preparing himself to shift back to Michael's apartment, he was stunned when he felt his powers blocked for the second time.

Gazing at every side, he searched for his father, who was definitely behind this. Unfortunately the only company he had was a tiny lizard sitting on a rock and a slight breeze. Suddenly a small light was flashing in his eyes for a second. Whirling in the direction he noticed a small point moving. Not knowing if it was friend or foe, he prepared himself to blast at any moment while he walked towards object.

After a while he could recognize the face and he instantly was relieved when he realized that it was his grandmother. Throwing all his caution out of the window he started to sprint, happy that he wasn't alone any longer.

" Grandma!".

Amy had never been so grateful to hear this word, even though she was still in the dark why she had a grandson who was already so old. But at this point she was just glad that she hadn't wander this deserted place without anyone at her side anymore. She was still a little puzzled what she was doing here and how she had managed to come here, but she could easily put that aside for a later date. " Mike!".

Mike threw himself in her arms and pulled her off of her feet. He forgot how delicate and tiny and light she was. But despite her petite shape, she was one of the most feared hard asses he ever met in his life. " Are you alright?".

" Yeah, as soon as you stop squeezing the air out of me", Amy had to smile at his stunt, even though she should be angry at his small attack. That boy had a nice grip and she wondered where he got that, because it was apparent that he didn't got it from Maria. It was probably from Michael's genes that made him so strong.

Mike put his grandmother on her own feet again before grinning guiltily at her. He hadn't meant to hurt her, but he wasn't used to be so careful with anyone. The only people he had contact with weren't so delicate, aside from his mother and she had never complained about his strength. " Sorry, I had been just so happy to see someone else".

Amy straightened her clothes while she tried to wrap her mind about the fact that she was standing in the middle of nowhere in New Mexico with her grandson and no freaking clue how she managed to do that in the first place. Even thinking it, it sounded strange and she was sure that she should have skipped smoking pot in her youth; it had seriously damaged her brain. " Yeah, I can understand that. But how did we come here and where are we in the first place?".

" I don't know any more than you do", Mike couldn't even pinpoint in which direction they had to walk to get back in town, there wasn't anything he could orientate himself. Everything looked the same for him and with his powers blocked there was not a chance to get out of here without any help from outside.

Amy was not thrilled to hear that; what was the point of being an alien when he wasn't any help at all? Wiping sweat off of her forehead, she hoped that they would find a way out of here before she would die of dehydration in this heat. " Great, from all the people I got stranded with, it's Martian jr. ".

Mike glared at her, but thankfully was spared having to reply something with the arrival of two more people in their midst. Jim and Alex had found their way to them and seemed to be as grateful to see someone else in this god forsaken place like they had been.

" What is going on here?".

Amy shrugged her shoulders, wanting to know the answer to that as well while Mike just sighed. Alex was apparently searching the area for the other missing members of the group, with little to no success.

Only Jim was trying to stay cool, sure that it wouldn't help them in any kind to lose their heads. They had to find out where they were and how they would find their way back again. " Someone got a cell phone?".

" Doesn't work out here", a voice startled them all.

Mike felt a little better at seeing Kyle, Isabel and Liz having joined them. It was obvious now that they all were here somewhere, everybody having been in different places, but still close to each other. " Have you seen my Mom?".

Liz found it odd that the guy was referring to Maria as his mother and she hoped that they would find the time to talk about it. She was curious if her sacrifice had made any impact on the future and if Future Max had succeeded at his mission. " No. I accidently bumped into those two. We haven't seen anyone for miles, aside from you now".

" I hope they're well", Amy wasn't so familiar with those alien mumbo jumbo and so she didn't know what to expect. It felt like a lifetime ago that she had lived a relative normal life with her relative normal daughter in their small house. Now she was dealing with extraterrestrials with super powers and an enemy who wanted them all dead. As soon as this was over, she was going on a nice long holiday somewhere far away from this nonsense.

As soon as the sentence was finished, Max and Michael appeared in their midst, looking just as confused and surprised to see someone else here like the rest of them, but there was also relief. They were together again, even though there was still one person missing and they thought it was strange that they were all in the middle of the desert with no one around.

Michael looked at everyone, just like he could see the answer to his million questions in their eyes. But he realized they were just as clueless as he was. The last thing he remembered was the blinding light hitting him and Maria getting ripped away from his embrace. " Okay, what the hell is going on?".

" I think I caused this", Maria stepped around a huge boulder, her face showing the guilt she was feeling. She couldn't recall exactly what had happened in the time between her walk into the bedroom and so many voices talking to her to waking up with the sun shining hot down on her.

Amy was instantly at the side of her daughter and wrapping her arms around the girl. She had been so worried that this cruel man that had apparently done something to her had kidnapped her again. " Why do you think you're the one doing this?".

Maria glanced at the aliens and she saw the suspicion in their expression. Swallowing her fear she pulled her sweater aside to show them a glowing symbol over her left breast, a symbol that looked like a star constellation, a little bit different than the V constellation they found in the cave. " Because I found this".

" Oh god, what have you done", Mike reacted as soon as he realized what he was looking at and it was obvious that he wasn't exactly thrilled to see it.

Michael realized almost instantly that it wasn't something good that was going on with Maria and he stepped closer to her. He would undo whatever that bastard had done to her and if it was the last thing he would do in his life. " What is it?".

Mike pointed at the sign and he was disgusted at the sight. So much for changing the future, the only future he had been able to change had been from the commander, but his mother seemed to be doomed to make the same mistake again. All his work and knowledge had been for shit. " My father marked her, which means she's his now".

" Like hell she is", Michael put his arms protectively around her shoulder and pulled her at his side, where she belonged. No one and he really meant no one was coming between them, not even some scum like Khivar. If he wanted to have her, he had to make his way over his own dead body.

Maria would have loved to enjoy the possessiveness, but she was too scared about the reaction of her family when she told them what she had done. The symbol on her skin meant that neither she nor anyone else had a choice in the matter. She had made a pact with the devil and now she had to life with the consequences of her actions. " Mike's right".

Michael whirled his head so fast in her direction that it appeared like he was the girl from the exorcist. Moving a little away from her, he threw her a mean glare, wondering what she meant with that statement. What had Mike been right about? " What are you talking about?".

" She means that she made a deal with me and now she's my wife", Khivar appeared out of nowhere, startling the little group with his unannounced visit. He stretched his right arm out and waited.

Maria dropped her gaze while she made her way at the side of her "husband", not once looking at the surely shocked faces of her friends and family. She was afraid what she would see in their gazes and afraid that they wouldn't understand her motivation. She had no choice right now and it scared her more than anything.

Michael reacted immediately and with such a vengeance that it took the strength and in some cases the power from Kyle, Jim, Mike, Max, Alex and Isabel to pull him back again. He was struggling and seething, rocks and cactuses exploded left and right. His whole demeanor changed and took a on a darker note, making him appear threatening and deadly. " You're not getting her!".

" Too late for that, I already have her", Khivar smiled smugly at the commander, having waited so long to see the darker nature breaking the bonds. Rath hadn't been such a good guy like everyone believed, the guy had been more cruel and dangerous than any other creature on Antar.

Maria cringed as soon as his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her so close to his body that she could feel the heat from his skin. Repressing the urge to throw up, she tried to keep from showing how disgusted she was. She had to endure this if she wanted to have the others out of harms way. " Please Michael, don't make a scene".

Michael snarled and growled furiously, not believing her one bit. She was sacrificing herself for them and he wouldn't let her do that. She was his mate and he would fight Khivar to the last breath." What are you getting out of this deal? For what did you sell yourself?".

" For you. And the humans, but mostly you", Khivar liked to see the tortured and pained expression on the young boys face. Even if his fight wasn't with Rath, he got a kick out of tormenting him. He would enjoy that so much and more so knowing that he had something precious to the commander.

Mike shook his head, feeling the impact of the words like a slap to his face. His mother had sold herself for the safety of her family and to make sure that nothing happened to them. But why was she here then? Why had she come back to them if she had changed sides now? Why had his father allowed that to happen? And most of all, what else entailed that deal? " I want to know what more do you get for our safety. I mean it will be a pleasure for you to torture the commander with having his mate, but it's not enough for you to stop attacking them".

Khivar glanced at the boy that thought he was his son and he still marveled at the fact that this human girl had told that boy such a lie. He couldn't believe it, even if he had to admit that the resemblance in appearance was unmistakable. " You know me quite good and you know that there's more", turning to four hybrids he grinned in joyful glee. " She sold you out. For the safety of the commander and the innocent humans, she promised me the queen, the king and the princess in return, dead or alive".

" She would never do that!", Michael yelled in rage, feeling something dark crawling up his body and almost taking over his senses. He was two seconds away from pushing the others away from him, not even caring that he could hurt them in the process. He just saw his mate in the arms of their enemy and he felt a spark of the commander lingering deep inside him, waiting for his chance to break free.

Maria hid her face behind her hands, the guilt so heavy on her that she thought it wanted to crush her. Tears escaped her eyes at the displaced trust in her. She had made that promise, but she would have promised anything to protect her family and she had planned to tell them all about it as soon as she would have been able to do it. How could she know that Khivar would be able to get her before that?

Liz was the first one to realize the gesture from her best friend and she instantly knew that Khivar wasn't lying. Maria had really sold the aliens out for the protection of the humans and her boyfriend. " How could you do that?".

" The same way you did it, just that she didn't do it for herself like you".

Everyone stared between Liz and Maria repeatedly, feeling like they have missed part of the conversation. Max didn't want to believe what he thought was going on and that two of the humans he would trust with his life were playing against them. Isabel felt sad and hurt from the betrayal, although she could partly understand Maria in her motivation. Tess wasn't surprised, having expected such a behavior from Liz. The girl would do everything to safe her own neck, but she was slightly disappointed in Maria.

Michael's anger immediately vanished when he realized what his girlfriend had done. Desperately he tried to have eye contact with her, so that he could see for himself that he misunderstood the whole thing. Unfortunately she avoided to look at him directly and instead cried silently, her gaze showing remorse and guilt. " Why did you come back when you're against us?".

" She tried to warn you about the deal, get you all out of the line of fire. But she hadn't counted on me finding that out", for the first time Khivar showed his true face, his expression twisted into something dangerous and his steel colored eyes turned even darker. Grasping Maria's hair, he pulled her head back and made her moan in pain. " Didn't you bitch! You thought you could just escape from me and get back to your friends! You're mine now and I don't share with anyone, got that!".

Maria winced at the tugging on her scalp, but she made an attempt to let on how much pain she was really in. She knew that her plan had blown right up in her face, but at least the other's knew about the deal and could act accordingly now. That was all she wanted. " You think you having me will stop them from going after you? They'll kill me as much as they will kill you".

Khivar eased his grip a little and let his hand wander over her body. Taking his time to caress some of her parts more than others, he stopped his journey at her belly. Putting his hand on it, he glanced at Michael with such a satisfaction that it was scary. " I don't think the commander would want to kill his own child"

" What?".

Everybody stood there with their mouths wide open and forgetting to breathe for a moment, feeling the wind knocked out of their bodies. The news had made all of them speechless and shocked. But one of them was even more stunned about this knowledge than everyone else.

Mike had always believed to be the son of this cold hearted man and it had always depressed him that his father didn't love him. " You're bluffing. You're scared of the power from the commander and you know that you won't have a chance against him, so you use my mother as an excuse".

Khivar laughed for a second, wondering how that boy could even think for one moment that they were the same. He was stinking like Rath and aside from the obvious changed appearance they had nothing alike. " The commander and I have the same power, brother's are always equal in strength".

" Brother's?", Michael was sure that he had heard wrong, because it couldn't be that he was related to this monster. They were nothing alike, aside from the obvious strong force of their power and he couldn't believe that they had the same parents.

Khivar was tired of explaining everything to them; they were still so young and inexperienced. Rath had already told him that this batch didn't know anything about their past life, just that they had been killed from him and that they had been royals on their planet, but besides that there was nothing. " Yeah, why do you think you had been so feared? Your powers don't come from the good side, they're from the dark side. I still can't understand why you choose to turn your back on your family. We could have ruled together, but you decided to join the good guys".

Mike felt like the world was shifting and it was finally taking the right place again. Everything he had believed to be true was a lie and everything he thought was a myth had been the truth. That man he always had feared wasn't his father but his uncle and the man his mother had mourned for so long was his father. " So that's the reason you use my mother. You want your brother to come back to your side again".

" Smart boy, but that's not the only reason I'm keeping her. She reminds me a lot about my Vilandra. She's stubborn, knows how to take care of herself and she doesn't bent to anyone, well and look at her, she's got an awesome body", Khivar caressed Maria's cheek with the back of his hand, smiling when he saw her flinching away from his touch. He couldn't wait until she was back where she belonged and then he would show her how a future queen had to behave with her husband.

Michael clenched his hands into fists to prevent himself from attacking the bastard. He wanted to kill him so bad that he could already taste the madness on his tongue. But he couldn't risk Maria and his child to get hurt in the process. " She's not Vilandra, she's only human. She got nothing to do with this. Let her go and I'll do whatever you want me to do".

Khivar raised an unbelieving eyebrow at the guy, wondering if they both had rehearsed that line or if they just thought alike. The girl had made the same offer, promising him everything as long as he would leave her family out of that. They were really the perfect couple, like they were made for each other. " Whatever I want? You know what I want, I want Zan and his loyally followers dead. You do that and I will leave your girl alone and never bother you again".

" Dream on buddy, that won't happen", Maria snorted with amusement, trying to distract everyone. She could see the struggle in her lover's gaze and she wanted to show him that she wasn't mad at him for not being able to go through with it. She would never demand from him to choose a side.

Khivar had enough from her talking back, it wasn't so attractive anymore, now it was just annoying to him. Raising his hand, he slapped her with the back of his hand with a lot of force behind it. Watching her drop on the ground, he felt a little bit better. " That will teach you to talk badly about your king"

Michael didn't hesitate one second as soon as he realized his change to do something. Lifting his hand, he sent a powerful blast at his enemy, putting as much energy as he could in it. The rage of seeing his mate getting abused was more than he could handle and he let everything out in this one surge of power.

The moment Khivar flew through the air and landed hard some feet away on the ground, Mike got in gear and went to his mother. Picking her up, he carefully cradled her in his arms and brought her back to her family. " It's okay, he can't hurt you anymore. Michael will take care of him".

" No he can't. Stop him, please", Maria doubled over hurting, wrapping her right arm around her middle to keep the ache away. Every injury that was inflicted on Khivar was inflicted on her and she couldn't stand the pain. " I'm linked to Khivar".

Mike just needed a few seconds to realize what she meant with the last sentence. Turning to his real father and watching him punching the hell out of the man that he had feared all his life, he knew that if Michael would kill Khivar, his mother would die as well and he couldn't let that happen. Giving her over to his grandfather, he stormed towards the fighting men. " Dad, stop it! Mom and Khivar are linked with each other. He dies, she dies".

Michael didn't even falter in his need to destroy that man, to make him pay for everything he had done to him and for taking away the most important thing to him, his family. He didn't care that they were supposed to be brothers; Max, Isabel and Tess would always be his family and not someone that loved to torture others. He would put this to an end right now.

" Dad, please listen to me. If you kill him, you will kill Mom, too", Mike put a hand on his father's shoulder, not even afraid to get attacked for just surprising the commander in his strange battle mood.

Michael felt the touch instantly and some part of him registered the words. For a moment he thought about killing anyone daring to interrupt him, but then his other part realized that he wasn't Rath from Antar, he was Michael from earth and the boy behind him wasn't an enemy, it was his son, his son with Maria. Letting up from the bloody pulp at his feet, he noticed his mind shifting back to its former state. " What did you say?".

Mike breathed out relieved, glad that he was able to break through the trance his father had been in and grateful that he managed to utter the D word without hesitation or fear. It was so easy, so right to address Michael as his father. " Khivar linked his life with that of Mom. Everything you do to him will be done to her and vice versa".

" Damn. That bastard thought about anything", Michael felt frustrated, he had wanted so badly to end this chapter and now he couldn't touch the son of a bitch without hurting Maria in the process. But he wouldn't give up, he and the others would find a way to break the link between them and then Khivar had to better look out.

Mike glanced at his mother, who looked like she had been the one getting beaten and he swore that he would do whatever it took to get her out of the grasp of that monster. She would never be the punching bag of that cruel man as long as he was still breathing. " Let's get out of here. Mom looks like she could use some rest".

Michael followed his gaze and he saw Jim and Amy hovering protectively over Maria, trying to get her to calm down. She was very weak and fearful looking at Max, Isabel and Tess, probably afraid of their reaction for her betrayal. He knew that a conversation about everything that happened was unavoidable and there would be probably a lot of yelling, tears and hurt feelings, but they were family and they would work it out somehow. Turning his head to his side, he was still in awe that he had a son, but it was finally explaining why he had trusted the boy so quickly. " Yeah, let's get out of here", carefully he patted Mike's shoulder before they made her way to the others.

" You think you've won. But you're precious girl will come back to me and then we both will destroy you all", Khivar whispered while he crawled away on all fours, his face twisted in pain. But he knew his time would be coming soon, because he had still a few back up plans.

TBC


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17 What I've done**

Michael was the first one from the group that opened his eyes and was slightly puzzled that they were all at his apartment again. Sitting up, he saw that everyone was lying around his bedroom in very strange poses, just like they had dropped on the ground. Glancing down at the person still appearing to be asleep, he remembered everything again. She had betrayed them all with just one act of insanity. Even if she had wanted to help them, she had still done something inexcusable. He got that she wanted to keep the humans safe and that she thought she would be doing the right thing, but it didn't change the fact that she had hurt them by using their trust and throwing it back in their faces.

He was torn between his loyalty towards his family and the love towards her and their son. Turning his head he noticed Mike was waking up as well and he seemed to be slowly realizing what had been going on, too. " Hey".

" Hey", scanning his surroundings, Mike was confused. He wasn't sure if he had been dreaming or if that really had happened. " Hadn't we been at the desert a while ago?".

Michael wished it would all have been some nightmare or hallucination. At least then he could blame his overreacting imagination for the scenes playing in his mind over and over again. Although he was positive that his mind couldn't come up with something so weird like Khivar was his brother and Maria would sell his family to the enemy. " Yeah, but it was probably just some dream walking or something like a healing ceremony".

Mike had been thinking in the same direction, which explained his inability to use his powers and the strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. Looking at his mother, still somewhat out of it in his father's arms he knew that there would be a lot to deal with the tension among the group. " She hadn't wanted to hurt anyone, she loves the others as much as you do and she wouldn't put them willingly in danger" .

" She made a bad choice and I don't think Max, Isabel or Tess will forgive her for betraying them. They love her as well and that's the reason why they've taken it so hard", Michael was angry at her for making a deal with the devil and giving him what he wanted the most, but another part of him felt guilty for having these feelings towards her.

Mike could understand it to an extent, but it was still his mother and he would always stand behind her, no matter what she would do, well as long as it was still legal. He didn't have any ties to the other alien, so he didn't feel as strongly about them, which in return made him take her side. " They will forgive her. If they really love her like you say they do, then they will be angry and it will probably get really nasty, but in the end they will work it out".

Michael sighed while he brushed his hand through Maria's hair, noticing for the first time the black streak at the front part. Taking it in his hands, he wondered if it was a sign that she was linked to Khivar and if that meant that she was turning evil on them. He was so worried about losing her to something that he had no control of, something that he had no idea how to change. " In your future, did she…had she been….different?".

" You mean if she was evil? No, not in the literal sense, she was unhappy and depressed, but never cruel. She was the most caring person to me and I never met someone that had been so warm and loving like her".

Michael was relieved to hear that, glad that some part of her had survived, even though she had lost so much people and her husband had been Satan in the flesh. Maybe she was not lost yet and they could get her out of the evil clutches she seemed to be in, maybe she was still in the state to be saved. " Then there's still hope".

Mike wasn't so sure about that, the last time his mother had been different in his future. There hadn't been a family or a lover in the picture, nothing that could have made her fight to protect them, aside from the last remaining people and they had been able to keep themselves out of trouble most of the time. She had given up on everything at the point where she had joined Khivar´s side. " I sure hope so".

" We all hope so, too", without them noticing the others had woken up and had listened to the conversation.

Michael glanced at everyone and he saw the hurt in the eyes of his family, they still were very upset about what happened in the desert. He couldn't blame them, he would have been just as offended if Liz would have sold them to the enemy to safe Max. " I know that you're angry at her, but give her the chance to explain herself".

Max and Tess instantly nodded, they didn't want to have any tension between them all. They knew that they would need everyone on the same side and that included Maria as well. Unfortunately Isabel seemed really furious, her eyes sparkled darkly and her nostrils flared. She was apparently not so forgiving like the others. " Why should we? She just threw us to the wolves like we don't matter".

" That's not true. I care about you a lot, but I had to give him something. You don't know how painful a mind rape can be, I would have told him anything at the point just that he would stop hurting me", Maria finally entered the fray, having listened long enough to their discussion and she was fed up with having to defend her decision. She had made a mistake, but she hadn't been the only one.

Tess´ expression dropped at that. She had witnessed Nasedo rummaging in someone´s mind at one point and it had been painful to watch, so she imagined it had been a lot more painful to feel it. She had never wanted to be there when he would do that again, because she wouldn´t have been able to stomach it. " I´m so sorry".

Maria shrugged out of Michael´s arms and stood up, her emotions all over the place. Tears were streaming down her face and her body shook with sobs. Glaring at all of them, she felt like a trapped animal and she just wanted to escape. " I don´t want your pity. I won´t apologize for my actions, because you would have done the same in my shoes. I have to protect my son before anything else and that means if I have to risk you then I will do that".

" That´s good to know where we stand in your opinion", Isabel came to her feet and stepped closer to the human girl she had thought was like a sister to her. It was hard to hear that they weren´t important enough to get saved.

Maria had been always so afraid of the tall alien girl, but now she couldn´t remember the reason why. " Why are you so upset? You betrayed your family and a whole kingdom for far less reason than me. You risked everything for a man that doesn´t even care that much about you anymore".

Isabel slapped her, really hard and with a loud smacking noise. The others around them gasped at the act of violence that was so unusual from the blonde alien. She was usually not into physical attacks, but this time she had pretty much lost her composure. " You bitch, you don´t know anything about me or my past life, so don´t talk about things you have no knowledge of".

" I know a lot more than you do and I have to say, your death had been an improvement on your planet. Nobody needs a whiney little princess that just existed to complete the family picture", Maria was stunned about the slap she received and she reacted to it. She didn´t like to get lectured from someone that had done more bad things than her and no one was holding that against her.

Isabel couldn´t hold onto her emotions anymore and she threw a blast at the human girl, not even caring that she could hurt anyone else with using her powers in such a tight space. She just wanted to inflict some pain. Unfortunately she hadn´t counted that Maria might have the advantage of alien power herself and so she got angrier when she saw the blast only bouncing off at some unseen protection shield and flying back towards her. Too late she realized that her own power was turning against her and before she could react she crashed full force at the wall behind her.

Max glared at Maria, like she had done that willingly to his sister before he made his way to her. Kneeling besides her, he checked for any injury and was relieved when he saw that there wasn´t any damage. " Are you okay?", he was glad when he saw Isabel nod at him, even though the movement was jerky and slow. Then he turned to person being responsible for that accident. " What is wrong with you? You could have really hurt her".

" Hey, she had been the one attacking me and my son thought it was necessary to protect his mother", Maria absently rubbed her stomach where her baby boy was resting. She had suspected that she was pregnant a while ago, well since she was flung through the window at the Crash Down to be exact, but she hadn´t known it for sure until Khivar had pointed it out to her. Now she finally realized why she had immediately felt so protective of Mike.

Michael was scared of this creature that was wearing his lover´s face, but seemed to be completely changed. This wasn´t the girl that had fought tooth and nail to get her best friend out of the clutches of Khivar, this was someone different; someone that he wasn´t sure he wanted to get to know better. " Would you listen to yourself? That´s so not you".

Maria shook her head and her expression turned sad. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears while her lips trembled slightly. She was trying to repress the urge to cry, especially in front of them all and after what she had done, but her hormones had other ideas with her emotions. Whirling around she fled the bed room, leaving the others shocked behind and just throwing an " I´m sorry" over her shoulder.

" Mom wait", Mike glowered for a moment at them all before running after his mother. He didn´t care why they were all so angry at her, she had done what she thought was right and if anyone wanted to pick a fight with her, he would stand at her side to defend her, even if that meant going against his own father.

Maria was almost out the door and at the stairs when she felt a wave of nausea crashing over her. Barely time to react she lent over the front railing and puked her guts out, letting everything free, although there had been nothing inside of her that should want to escape her. As soon as she was sure that it was over, she wiped her mouth on the sleeve of her sweater and slid down on the ground. Her legs felt like jelly and her body drained of all of her energy.

Mike had witnessed everything from a distance and went instantly to her side to make sure that it was just a normal reaction from the fight and nothing serious. Sitting besides her, he put his arm around her to show her that she wasn´t alone, that he would stick to her no matter what. " I´m here. I won´t go away".

" Maybe you should. You saw what I did in there, I don´t want the same to happen to you".

Mike hated to hear her so weak and defeated. He was tired of seeing his mother beat herself up about something that was out of her hands. She was one of the purest souls he knew and yet there were always people trying to stain her with their dark feelings and believes. Now it was his turn to protect her, even though she was always telling him that she could take care of herself. " It wasn´t your fault. It´s not your problem if the princess can´t take the truth".

Maria put her head on his shoulder, enjoying the warmth of his embrace. He was like a rock for her and she hoped that she could repay him with being a good mother to him. She didn´t know him that long, but she already feared the day he would get back in his time. It would be strange without him. " That hadn´t been me. I´m not that cruel, especially to people I care about. Something snapped when Isabel started to fling that accuse at me, I don´t know what it was that made me act like that, but it scared me. I don´t want to hurt them, they´re my family".

" You had every right to defend yourself, Isabel was way out of line with her anger. Everyone not realizing what a good person you are, doesn´t deserve your friendship", Mike didn´t see anything wrong with the style she handled the situation. It was easy to pick on someone when it was apparent that she was alone, but he wouldn´t let them make his mother feel guilty for something that was in his eyes not her fault.

Maria took one of his hands in her own and squeezed it. She was so glad that she had him supporting her back with everything she was doing. At least one of her family was on her side and would be standing with her when another attack would hit them. " You´re a good son".

Mike felt like he got thrown back in time and he was sitting with his mother in one of the empty rooms in Khivar´s base, talking about their day and imagining that at one point their life´s would be better for them. She had always reassured him that she would do everything to make their dream about living in freedom come true. Unfortunately that had been before she died. " That´s because I had a good mother".

" Now I finally know how my future self could sell herself like that. Becoming a mother changes everything. It´s okay to risk my life, but not that of my child, my priorities have shifted".

Mike sensed another confrontation when he saw his father and the other hybrids standing at the window of the cabin, watching them sitting on the ground. Glaring at them, he hoped that they would be smart enough not to come near them right now or he would forget his good breeding and use his powers to haul their asses to another state. " Are you in any condition to take a walk with me? I want to talk to you without having to fear that anyone will listen to us"

Maria was momentarily confused about the change of topic, but she didn´t question it, besides she thought it was a good idea to get a little distance between her and the others at the moment to clear her head. Maybe it would get her friends the chance to cool down as well and after that they could talk rationally about the fight. " Okay, I know a great path that leads to a small lake".

" That sounds wonderful", Mike jumped to his feet and helped his mother standing up, too. Together they slowly made their way to some unknown destination.

Meanwhile Michael had to stifle his urge to go right after her, even though he had behaved like an idiot with attacking her, he still didn´t feel comfortable with her out of his sight, now more than before he knew that she was pregnant with his child. But he was sure that she needed the space from them and he would give it to her.

Max kept his gaze on his brother, seeing in the pain in the other man´s eyes. He felt guilty for acting like a jerk and not trusting the girl that had sat for hours with him after Liz had left him, the girl that had listened to him when he had caught the woman he loved with another man in bed. " I´m sorry. I didn´t meant to chase her away".

" It´s not your fault, it´s mine. She´s the mother of my child and I turned against her", Michael rubbed his face tiredly. When could they finally take a breather and relax for a moment to collect their energy again? He was so damn sick of getting hit over and over again and not be able to do anything against it.

Isabel took his hand, not wanting him to beat himself up over something that she had done. It had been her fault; she had overreacted, because Maria had found her weak spot. She was very sensitive when it came to her past life and the way she had betrayed her family in order to be with her lover. The human girl was right, she had made a mistake for a man that didn´t give her a second glance now and she felt very stupid for feeling that way. " No, it was me. I attacked her and risked hurting your child in the process, it´s natural for a mother to protect her baby."

Max would have found this scene pretty amusing if the situation wouldn´t be so serious. Here they were, four powerful aliens and they were all blaming themselves for hurting a human girl. And the strangest thing was it had taken Alex of all people to remind them that they were a unit and they had to stick together in order to defeat Khivar, who had dropped that bomb on them just to drive a wedge between them and to weaken their defense. " I think it´s all of us, even Maria. We should wait until she´s back to talk calmly with her and to clear the air between us".

" That´s a really good idea. I can´t stand to have tension in our group, especially now", Michael couldn´t bear to have the most important people in his life at each other´s throat all the time. He didn´t want to choose a side in order to keep the peace, because it would kill him to make such a hard decision between his family and the mother of his child.

Tess was the only one from them that didn´t feel so optimistic about the whole thing. Something at the way Maria acted was odd and she had a feeling that there was still more to come and she feared that they wouldn´t be prepared for it. But in order to keep the peace, she kept her mouth shut and decided to keep an eye on the girl when she came back, just to make sure that she was wrong in her assumption and was just overreacting.

**A while later**

Amy and Jim were sitting on the couch, their arms wrapped tightly around each other and their eyes strained on the flickering fire in the fireplace. It was slowly getting cold and dark outside and they were waiting for Maria and Mike to make it back to them. They were all worried, because they had been gone for so long.

Alex felt like Hugh Hefner with Isabel and Liz at his side, leaning onto him for support and pressing their bodies so tight at him. He was caressing both girls' backs to comfort them and to keep them warm. Here and there he watched Michael and Max pace in front of the window that showed them the spot where the other two had disappeared.

Tess was tired of the waiting and slept soundlessly on Kyle´s lap, curling herself into a small ball and snuggling into his embrace while he was enjoying the intimacy of their position. It was such a pleasure for him to know that she trusted him so completely, trusted him to keep her safe while she slept and not to peek under her shirt to see which bra she was wearing today. Tightening his arms around her, he breathed in her fruity scent and let the smell sooth his senses.

" I´m going out and look for them", Michael had enough of waiting, he didn´t have any patience left anymore. The connection with Maria was slowly fading and he was afraid what that meant.

Max was instantly ready to go with him, but he was interrupted to voice that thought when the door to the cabin was opened and their missing members stumbled inside, laughing their asses off and appearing like they just came from a bar. " Looks like it´s not necessary anymore".

Mike glanced around the people staring at them like they had turned into aliens and he had to do everything to keep the amusement down a little at his own pun. " What´s shaking dawg´s?".

" Are you drunk?", Michael couldn´t believe it, here he was worrying himself to death and his son was out there getting wasted with his pregnant mother. What was the guy thinking? They were in the middle of a war and they couldn´t allow such slips anymore. Every mistake could be their last and he didn´t want to lose anyone because of that.

Maria rolled her eyes at the dramatics, wondering why there were always making such a deal out of nothing. They had been having a good time with some young dudes down at the lake and they had invited them to some fun, which involved booze and loud music. One of the guys even tried to hook her up and engage in some serious intimate action, which she had instantly declined with telling him that she was with someone and expecting at that. " No, he´s not drunk, just a little tipsy maybe. He just knows how to have fun".

Michael finally lost his cool and he felt for the first time like he was the only grown up in a group full of kids. Pointing angrily at the first bedroom, he was two seconds away from yelling at them. " In there, right now".

" Oh oh, I think we´re getting grounded", Maria whispered to Mike, giggling at her own joke. But then she saw the stern look directed at her and she pulled her son with her into the mentioned room, hoping that the lecture wasn´t too long.

Mike snickered at the funny line his mother delivered and how hilarious she could be when she was hammered, although she just took a sip from the bottle. Wussy couldn´t hold her liquor in like he could. He didn´t even feel the alcohol so much. Almost dripping over his own two feet, they made it into the bedroom and sat down on the available chairs standing around. " Did you see the vein in Dad´s throat pulsing? I almost thought it would explode".

Maria was glad to be sitting, her legs felt like they had fallen asleep on her and she couldn´t feel them anymore. Slumping down she barely kept on the seat when she saw the aliens invading their space and closing the door behind them. " Okay, give it to us".

" What are you two thinking? You can´t just get drunk while Khivar is still out there, waiting for us to make a mistake!".

Mike chuckled at the vein that had started to move as soon as his father had begun to scream at them. He was so amused about the pumping blood vessel that he didn´t notice anything else around him, not even the dangerous glare directed at him or the unbelieving glances from the other hybrids at his disrespecting behavior.

Maria on the other hand seemed to sober up at the anger thrown towards her and she got to her shaky feet, walking in the direction of her lover. She was sick of being there and getting yelled at, she wasn´t a damn child. She was a mother for heavens sake and she could take care of herself. " Why do you care about that? It doesn´t matter to you if I´m here or not".

" That´s not true. The emotions had slightly boiled over and there had been hurting words on both sides, but that doesn´t mean we don´t care about each other", Michael couldn´t wrap his mind around the fact that she drank something in her condition and she didn´t even see that she made something wrong.

Maria pushed her finger on his chest, her eyes clearing for a moment and glistening dangerous close to tears. But then she seemed to realize what she was about to do and refrained from showing any weakness in front of them now. " Right and you really show me that you care. I´m the mother of your child and you´re always on their side", she slightly slurred her words in the direction of the others behind him. " I´m just something to pass the time between alien cris cris cris situations. I´m done with being second best".

Michael put his hands on her shoulders and shook her so hard that Mike got on his feet to keep his father from hurting her. Her head was bobbing for and back like she was just a rag doll. " I don´t recognize you anymore. I want to help you, but I can´t when you don´t let me. Do you know what you´re doing to me with being like this? You´re hurting me. I want my girl back".

" Sorry that I´m not enough. Maybe you should have hooked up with Vilandra after all. And now keep your hands off of me", Maria shoved him away from her with new strength and almost let him crash into the door with the force. Then she turned to the remaining hybrids and glanced at them with a blank stare. " Don´t worry anymore. My son and me are so out of here. We won´t bother you again and you can keep your heads up your asses".

Max was the first one to react and he grasped her arm as soon as she made an impression to walk out of the door. He couldn´t let her leave this cabin, as much as it pained him to admit, they needed her. No matter what was wrong with her, she was still part of this group and his family, which meant they would fight for her. " Don´t go. We can talk about everything. You were the one talking about sticking together and that includes you as well".

Maria glared at him, not liking the way he manhandled her. Thankfully for him she wasn´t in any mood to kick his butt for that and so she just pulled his hand away instead of ripping it off like she wanted to do. " Talk, that´s all you ever do and how far did it got you? Nowhere. Wake up and smell the roses, you have to act in this war or you will all get killed".

Tess was fed up with the attitude and she wouldn´t stand there any longer and listen to the bullshit the human girl was sprouting. Maria had no idea what she was talking about, she just wanted to play games with their minds, make them feel weak and unprepared for this battle that was surely coming. " Like you care what happens to us. You already wrote us off before this".

" You can´t get past this, can you? Every good soldier knows that sacrifices have to be made to win a war and I´m not sorry for trading your life for that of my son, my mother and the father of my child. I would do the same over and over again", Maria felt like a broken record that had to play the same spot again and again. She wondered how long she had to listen to the same accusation and why they weren´t able to see her point of view.

Isabel stepped closer to her alien friend, showing her that she got her back if it should come to a small battle between the females in the room. She had wanted to do a step in the direction of the human girl and make peace, but that was impossible. The girl was so tightly wound with Khivar that it was hard to find out where one ended and the other started. " How can you stand there and act like that? Do you know what you´re doing to us, do you even care?".

Maria let her gaze wander for a second to her son and she barely nodded at him before she turned her eyes towards the two alien girls. If the situation would have been different, she would have felt bad for them both. Unfortunately she did not and she would enjoy this moment to the last. " I´m sorry. I´m sorry that you´re stupid enough to believe the bullshit I was telling you".

" Sorry guys, we´ve got orders. Don´t take it too personally", Mike put his hands on Max and Michael´s throat where he zapped them. Both guys instantly crashed on the floor and were out like a light within seconds. Turning to his mother, who had done the same to Tess and Isabel, he smiled at her. " Mission accomplished".

TBC


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18 Shattered**

Michael felt like he got hit by a truck when he came back to the land of the conscious again. The first thing he noticed was the strange smell hanging in the air; it was the scent of wet earth and metal. Then he realized it was cold and dank, making him think that he wasn´t at the cabin any longer. Opening his eyes, he was greeted with a sight that confused him. It seemed like he was in some sort of cave and cuffed at a wall. Glancing around he tried to remember the last thing that came to his mind and instantly was bombarded with the picture of his son zapping him. Groaning he made an attempt to free his hands out of their prison and find out what game there was going on.

" I wouldn´t do that if I were you. You´re just going to hurt yourself with it".

Michael´s head snapped up when he heard the familiar voice, which didn´t belong in this environment. He still couldn´t understand what she had done to them all and he wondered if it was even her in the first place. " Who are you? Where is Maria?".

Maria huffed annoyed, knowing that it was hard for him to believe that she was capable of being such a bitch to her family, but she was so sick of getting overlooked from anyone. Here at least she was getting treated like an equal and not like an invalid without any use. She liked it at this place and she was sure that she could convince him to change sides as well. " I am her. You should know that better than anyone or did you feel threatened by my presence?".

" No, but that doesn´t mean anything. My instincts could be tricked from you", Michael was a mess right now, not trusting his feelings at the moment. She was moving and gesturing like Maria, but her expression was so different. He wished he could be sure that she was who she said she was, but he didn´t want to find out that she really was this cold and unpredictable bitch standing in front of him.

Maria smiled at him while she stepped closer to him until they were nose to nose. She could see the confusion and the desire in this glance. He was like an open book to her and she liked that fact that he was still doing that and not guarding himself like he had done before. " Spaceboy, don´t you trust your own abilities? I always knew that you were able to do so much more, but you let yourself get held down from Max and Isabel, they´re stopping you from being someone great".

Michael hated her for calling him with his pet name; the one Maria gave him at one point in their relationship and for sounding so sincere with it. It even sounded the same with her, like an endearment, spoken just between the two of them. " They don´t keep from anything. They´re my family".

" Yeah, a family that always dismissed your ideas, a family that was never there when you needed them, a family that never stood behind you or gave you support. I don´t know, but for me it sounds like you´re better of without them", Maria didn´t want to hurt him, but the truth was most of the time very painful and every word she spoke wasn´t a lie. She had watched them over time and until now she had never thought something of it, because she had was sure that she was imagining things.

Michael turned his head away from her, biting his lip to keep from saying something wrong. She was trying to manipulate him and he shouldn´t listen to her. But a small part of him felt that she was right with everything she said. Every time he would have needed them to help him, they had tried to talk him out of it. Mostly it had been Maria that went with him or at least listened to his ideas without getting annoyed with him. " They love me and they want me to be careful, that´s all".

Maria cupped his face and pulled him towards her direction. She saw the truth in his eyes, he didn´t believe it completely himself. Caressing his cheek, she made an attempt to get their familiarity back and make him trust her again. " Honey, they just drag you down. Join me and you can find out how much potential is in you".

" And becoming like you? No thank you, I´d rather hang around here forever", Michael cursed inwardly his betraying body and the yearning he felt with her touch. No matter how evil she was, he couldn´t stop lusting after her.

Maria sighed disappointed before she dropped her hands from his face and stepped away from him. She had done everything in her powers to persuade him to join them, but unfortunately he was stubborn like a mule and wouldn´t just abandon his family in order to safe his own ass. No wonder the guy had died in his last life, he was trusting in the wrong people and that got him killed. " Fine, do that. But don´t complain later to me when you´re half crazy of thirst and hunger. I gave you a chance and you didn´t take it".

Michael would rather die than turning all evil on his family. He would never trade their lives for his own, not even when he was seriously pissed at them. They had been always there for him, even though they hadn´t been very supportive of him, but they cared and that changed everything for him. " Don´t worry, I wont complain".

" Why did I know that you would be with him".

Michael turned his head in the direction of the voice and he had to swallow the bile rising in him when he saw Maria walk into Khivar´s open arms and kiss the guy like they were dueling with their tongues. It was disgusting to watch and he closed his eyes to not have to witness her betrayal. But the noises were worse than the picture and he wished they would kill him so he didn´t have to be there to see her so intimate with their enemy.

Maria giggled when her husband released her out of his grip. It had been too damn long since they had been together and she had missed him. " I just wanted to play a little with our prisoner and the others were still unconscious".

" Who´s with them?", Khivar should be mad at her for being with her ex lover, but after her welcome back kiss she had made up for it. Even though it had taken a little more force than he had been used to need, it had been worth in the end. She was his now and his brother would regret to not have been able to save her.

Maria snuggled in his warm embrace, finally feeling complete again after all the time she had to play the stupid human in front of those freaking aliens. She liked the fact that she wasn´t held down from any emotions that would just make her weak or hinder her from doing anything she wanted. " Rath and Mike are there. They want to make the move as painful as possible for our guests".

Khivar kissed her head while he turned his attention to his brother, still hanging at the wall with his eyes closed tightly. It wasn´t so much fun to make a show when there wasn´t anyone watching it. " What´s wrong Michael? Don´t like the fact that I´ve got her or that she´s capable of cheating on you like that?".

" That´s not her, she would never do something so cruel like that. She´s better than anyone I ever met", Michael wouldn´t let them think they could fool him, that girl wearing Maria´s face wasn´t her, it couldn´t be. She would never join Khivar and abandon the others just to save her own neck, she wasn´t like that.

Maria was so tired of hearing them talk about her like she wasn´t there and she was sick of Michael not believing that she really was herself. Just because she didn´t act like the person he thought she was, didn´t meant that she was someone else. She was happier with the way she was now than she had been her whole life. There were no insecurities or worries or any other emotional feeling that was holding her back. " If you want to believe that I´m not Maria, then I can´t stop you. But I´m the girl you kissed in the Crash Down just to shut her up and I´m the one that came with you to meet with Topolsky, although the others were against the idea".

Michael shook his head at her words, not wanting to hear more from her and making him lose the picture of the girl he had done all those things with. It was like she was the total opposite from that person and it pained him to see her giving up so easily. " Why did you do it, then? After all we´ve been through, you join his side?".

" Let´s see the facts for a moment. One, he has the better change of getting out of this battle as a winner. Two, he made me an offer I couldn´t refuse and three, I´m a human and I just look after myself first and foremost", that was a good reason to change to the opposite camp in Maria´s book. She had to think about keeping herself safe, so that her son had a chance to live.

Michael felt disgusted with her and he couldn´t understand that she could be like that. He was disappointed in her and her ability to make really good choices. He had been having such a high opinion of her and she never deserved it, she was just everyone else. " You selfish bitch. When I get out of here, you will be the first one I´ll kill"

Khivar enjoyed the moment his fist collided with the jaw of the commander and he saw blood flying around. He would probably never get tired of hearing bones break under his force and never get tired of seeing someone bleeding because of him. It was such a comfort for him to have finally a really good outlet for his anger. " Don´t talk to your Queen like that. You should bow to her, because she will be your mistress in the future and you better learn to show her some respect".

" I won´t bow to anyone", Michael spit some of his blood in their direction. He would rather die than to be a slave to them, he wasn´t born to follow the command of some cruel lunatic and his cheap whore.

Maria sensed that Khivar was about to dish out another punch and she didn´t want to have any blood on her, so she grasped his arm and pulled him back towards her. Playing with the buttons on his shirt she smiled at him. " Don´t waste your energy on him. We´ve got still so much to do. I know where the Granolith is".

Michael struggled in his bonds and tried to get out of them. He couldn´t let that happen, he couldn´t just let them walk into the pod chamber to get the only weapon they had on their hands. It was the only link to their home they had and he didn´t want to imagine what the bastard would do with it. " Don´t you dare!".

" Let´s get out of here, he´s annoying me", Maria turned her back on their prisoner and dragged her husband with her. Before she however went through the door, she grinned diabolical over her shoulder at Michael.

**Locker room **

Isabel opened her eyes with a long suffering groan. For the first time she knew how a drunk had to feel when he woke up after a night of excessive drinking. Her head was pounding and her mouth tasted like something had died in there. All of her other senses were affected as well from whatever had been going on, her sight was blurry and her smell was out of whack, because she could swear that it was stinking like in gym at school, an odor like dirty socks and sweat. Blinking her eyes a few times, she could finally see the outlines of the place she was in and for a moment she was thrown that she wasn´t at the cabin anymore. Letting her gaze wander, she finally realized that she was hanging in some sort of locker room with her brother and Tess at her side, both in the same position as her.

" What the hell is going on here?".

Rath was glad that finally someone was awake again. It had been so boring just to watch them sleeping. His company hadn´t been very entertaining as well and so he had been stuck with thinking and it made him always so cranky when he had to strain his brain like that. He wasn´t a thinker, he was a doer and he liked that. " Wakey, wakey, Princess. Welcome to your new home".

Mike savored this moment, to see the great Vilandra so helpless and not so arrogant anymore. He still couldn´t forgive her for slapping his mother and he would enjoy every injury he would inflict on her soon to be not so beautiful body. " Hey aunt Isabel. What´s wrong, you don´t like your new room? So bad, I really worked my ass off to make you feel at home here".

" What are you playing? I thought you were on our side", Isabel screamed at the young boy, feeling panic threatening to choke her. She had trusted him and his mother and now she was hanging at cuffs in something that looked like it was inside a cave with her brother and Tess.

Mike smiled widely at her, feeling like karma was biting her in her ass for all the sins she had done on her past. Payback was a bitch and she learned that the hard way. That would teach her to mess with his mother and that she would always have to pay for the things she would do to someone else. " I´m on the side of my mother. I don´t even know you and the moment you went against her, you became my enemy".

Isabel was scared of him in that moment, because it was true. He would be loyal to his mother and he didn´t know her in the future, so he had no business with her or the others. The only one he seemed to relate, aside from Maria, was Amy, Jim and Michael. They were just casualties in his eyes. " Your Mom and me had a disagreement, but that happens among friends".

" Don´t let her fool you, she´s a deceitful snake hiding behind her beauty", Rath butted in the conversation. He had been with the girls dupe and he knew what he had to expect from her. Lonnie had been more worried about herself than anyone else, well maybe besides being the number one for Khivar, but other than that, she was malicious and poisonous.

Mike gave his companion a look that was showing that he wasn´t as dumb as to believe her façade. He had heard all the stories about the royal four and he had always known that out of the four of them, Vilandra had been the one they all should be careful with. She wasn´t as obvious dangerous as Rath had been, but that made her just as deadly as or even more deadly than everyone else. " Don´t worry, it will be a great pleasure for me to see her die".

Rath grinned like he just won the lottery at the words; he had waited so long for his revenge to the woman that had betrayed him and her family for another man. He had been disappointed to learn that Vilandra was already dead and so this was the only change he would get to let his dark feelings out on her. " I will enjoy every moment of it as well, especially considering I will be the one killing her".

" Uh, would someone please stop banging, I´ve got a murder headache".

Mike turned his attention away from Isabel and focused it on the former King. The guy was slowly coming around and it was apparent that he hadn´t grasped what happened yet. But he would make sure that the boy would get caught up with what´s going on right now. " Look who finally found the time to join our little get together?".

Instantly Max opened his eyes and noticed his strange surroundings, his sister hanging handcuffed in the air and Mike smiling creepily at him. The moment he realized that something was going on, he remembered what happened in the cabin. " What is this? What are you doing with us? Where are we?".

" So many questions and all the wrong ones. I mean could you be a little more creative?", Mike was slowly getting into the role of the Riddler in Batman, the new one and not from the old movies. He changed his voice until he sounded like a whiney little boy. " What are we doing here? Who are you people? What are you gonna do with us?".

Rath was impressed about the hatred in the boys eyes and he was glad that it wasn´t directed at him, although there wasn´t anything that scared him easily. There was so much of him in the mix that it was a miracle that Mike hadn´t noticed earlier who his father really was, it was so obvious, at least to him and Khivar of course. " Zan had never been creative. He just sat on his ass all day long and let everyone else do the work for him".

Mike had read about that in one of Khivar´s books. There had been a lot of volumes about the royal four and Antar, written from people on the other side of the planet. Most of it had been legends and old stories, but he found out that a few of those stories had been true. " Yeah, so I heard. But it says that you weren´t a saint either".

" So what? I´m still not a saint", Rath smirked at his younger company, not feeling any pain by being on the right side of tracks this time. He didn´t know what was so great about being good at all. The softies were the first one to lose a girl or their hearts or their lives. It was better to not care, so that if you lost something, it didn´t hurt you that much.

Khivar and Maria choose this moment to grace the group with their presence. Walking arm in arm inside, they smiled amused at the picture in front of them. Mike and Rath were having too much fun with taunting their guests while the prisoner looked a little scared. It was such a nice sight to see them playing so good with each other.

Max noticed their new arrival and his jaw almost hit the floor. He couldn´t believe what his eyes were telling him and yet he was sure that it was true. Now it explained a lot about the angry behavior and the extreme reaction from his sister; she had been the only one having realized that their friend had changed. " You lying piece of shit! We trusted you and this is how you repay us?".

" I´ve got a feeling that my old friends don´t like me. All the new pet names make me sense a dark vibe", Maria was used to the explosive and rude nature from Michael, but it was strange to see the rather peaceful former King losing his cool and stepping so low to call her dirty names. It was amusing to see what a hopeless situation could do to someone and she was curious what would follow that behavior.

Khivar was stunned how easily she endured those hurting words without giving some indication that it was cutting into her heart to hear all of her former friends cursing her with so much hate. She truly was an amazing woman and he was glad that he had decided to bond with her; she was a nice asset to his family. " They´re just afraid of you. It´s just a matter of time until they´re too weak to insult you or not longer able to do anything at all".

Maria grinned with real enthusiasm while she released her husband to walk towards the two aliens, who had at least the decency shrink back from her, well as much as the chains would allow them to. Stopping in front of the last one that was still seemingly deeply asleep, she slapped her cheeks repeatedly with her open palm. " Hey Queenie, open your f+++ing eyes!".

" What? What?".

Max seethed at the treatment and his jaw was working furiously under his skin. He would have loved to kick her or do something worse, but unfortunately he was unable to move from the spot, so he used the only thing that still was left. " Leave her alone, bitch!".

Khivar was sick of those retards calling his wife a bitch and he had enough of them blaming her for their situation, which was pretty far from the truth. They were the only one responsible for being here, because they dismissed the usefulness of their other group members and now they were paying for that mistake. " Mike, Rath, I think it´s time to teach him a lesson about disrespecting his new Queen. Get him into the play room and lash him".

" You can´t do that!", Isabel cried in fear for her brother. Tears were shooting in her eyes while she struggled against the cuffs holding her hands trapped in an iron grip. She wanted so desperately to help him or at least make Khivar stop with torturing them any longer, but she knew that she wasn´t strong enough.

Rath instantly grinned like a kid in a Candy Store and he was quickly in the process to release the chains from the former king. Keeping the cuffs around the other man´s wrist, he pushed him out of the locker room, pleasantly thrilled to inflict some pain instead of listening to their whining and wailing. " Come on King weenie, it´s time to have a little fun".

Mike followed after them, even if it appeared like he wasn´t exactly happy about the fact. He was exchanging a fleeting worried glance with his mother before he left the other behind.

" Now to you", Khivar bent down until he was face to face with his former lover, wondering what he found so attractive with her in her past life, because she was just a girl to him now and she was so sickly loyal to her brother that it was disgusting to watch. " I would save the energy for myself, because I won´t spare you this time. You go against my wife, you go against me and that means I will kill you".

Maria was thrown from the threat, especially considering he was doing that for her and she smiled at him. He was a really good man, when he wanted and didn´t try to be intimidating to anyone. There was a whole different person underneath all that anger and coldness. " Honey, leave her alone. She will be killed either way".

Khivar pulled back from his half crouch and went back at the side of his wife, immediately wrapping his arms around her middle. He pressed a kiss to her cheek and remembered why he was doing that. " You´re right, love. Let´s get out of here and have fun on our own".

" You´re taking the words right out of my mouth", Maria wanted to be gone before the punishment would start. Sadly she didn´t get the chance and so she had to listen to whip cracking loudly, which was instantly followed from a terrifying scream of pain. Flinching at the noise, she saw the other two hybrids crying openly and uncontrolled.

Khivar loved the sound of pain and the slight breeze of blood in the air. Inhaling deeply he pulled Maria with him in the direction of his bedroom. All that suffering and the misery from other people was making him horny.

Isabel wasn´t sure if she could trust her eyes at that point with all the crying and the worry about her brother, but she could have sworn that she saw some remorse in the human girls eyes and for a moment she wondered if their friend was still somewhere trapped inside her own shell, just unable to get out.

TBC


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19 Lips of an angel**

Michael didn´t know how many hours it had been since someone had bothered to check on him, but he was sure that it had been a whole lot of time. Max´s screams had long faded into silence and even the sobs from Isabel and Tess had deceased for a while. It had been hard to hear them and not be able to help, to be trapped like them as well. He wished he would be so strong like everyone said he had been in his past life, so that he could escape his bonds and save his family and if he had enough time for it killing Khivar. Maybe then Maria would finally stop being this complete different person, this stranger that he didn´t like so much. The odd thing was, he still felt their link and for some reason her dark energy was staining him, making him just as cold and angry as she was. What was even more confusing was the part in her that was warm and caring, the person she had been before everything happened, the person he had fallen in love with.

" Hey, are you hungry?", Mike was standing in front of him like he just appeared out of thin air with a dish full of food in his outstretched hand and looking a little green around the nose.

Michael shook his head, although he was almost starving he was afraid to get poisoned or sedated with that stuff. He had been more than paranoid when he didn´t have any reason for that, he wouldn´t stop with it now when it was real. " No thank you. I rather starve to death"

Mike cringed back from the venom in his father´s voice, knowing that the man had every reason to be furious with him, but it was still hurtful. He was just doing everything in his power to keep his mother alive and hopefully very much out of pain she will endure if she´s not playing by Khivar´s rules. " Don´t do that Dad, you need to keep your strength. I promise that the food isn´t poisoned or otherwise spiked with anything".

" Why do you care?", Michael spat angrily, wondering if the boy was planning another mind game with him. He didn´t have the patience nor the power to get participate in anything that Khivar or Maria had cooked up, he just wanted to be left alone until he figured out a way out of this hell.

Mike dropped his gaze on the floor, feeling very much like the traitor they thought he was. But didn´t they understand the importance of this here? He had to do this in order to kill Khivar and keep his mother safe. She was the only reason for him to risk the fury of the commander or to lose his life if his father should ever make it out of his cuffs. " You´re my Dad and I want you to be comfortable".

Michael threw him a disbelieving glance, rattling at the chains to prove his point. How should he be comfortable when he was hanging bound at a wall and was waiting for the death penalty? Comfortable was for him to sit on the couch in his home with the tv on and knowing his family was out there alive and kicking. " Yeah I think it´s too late for that".

" I wish I could take them off, but I can´t. I´m doing that for you as much as I´m doing it for Mom. If you want to hate me, that´s fine I can live with that as long as I´m sure that you´re still alive to hate me".

Michael wanted to believe those words, he really did, but how could he trust that boy after all he had done to him and the others? He wouldn´t let his guard down, not even for his own son and especially not with Maria. He should have known that it was stupid to have faith in other people, he should have stuck to his old motto, just trust yourself. " Why are you doing this here? Are you one of Khivar´s puppets just like your mother?".

Mike shook his head, wanting so bad to confide into his father and tell him that everything would take care of itself in the end and he should hold onto the love he still had somewhere for him and his mother. " Mom is doing this to protect you, all of you. She´s risking her humanity and her life to keep Khivar from attacking you. Don´t you feel her? She´s still the woman you fell in love with, just trying to fight a battle that´s way out of her league. Why do you think I´m helping her? I want to make sure that she´s not losing herself too much in this war".

" If what you´re saying is true, how do you explain the stunt with Max then? The Maria I know wouldn´t have let those bastard do that to him", Michael knew that no matter what the boy said, it couldn´t be true. Maria was so far gone from being the person she had been before those attacks had happened that it was unbelievable that they were one and the same.

Mike was sure that it wouldn´t be good for him if Khivar found out what he was doing here, but he didn´t want the hybrids to hate his mother for something she had to do to keep her friends safe. She was sacrificing so much with her act that one wrong word or move could get her killed and she was risking that for people who were quick to damn her. " If she would have reacted Khivar would have known that she´s still loyal to you. Do you think it will be better for you if she´s dead?".

Michael was torn between the knowledge that it sounded like something Maria would do and the fact that she had let those retards hurt his brother. He was clearly confused if he should listen to his heart, which was telling him that she was still on their side and his head, which was telling him that trusting would get him killed. " Why are you telling me all that?".

" Because I can´t stand the thought that you hate Mom. She needs your help to keep her human side grounded and not let her dark nature break out fully, because then we may really lose her forever".

Michael was sure that they were already too late for that, they had lost her. He wished he could trust Mike and believe that Maria was doing that to protect them, but it was hard after all the hurtful words and the disgusting show of affection with Khivar. He may never be able to trust her again after this, if they would even survive this. " She´s already lost to us. There´s nothing to save her anymore".

Mike saw the expression and he knew that his Mom had made a big mistake by pretending to be against her family. They would probably never forgive her for her behavior, although she hadn´t thought about their reaction at all. She just had done what she could to protect the one she loved. " She´s not lost, not yet. She´s still carrying your child, which binds you to her. You´re the only one able to keep her from turning Darkside".

" She´s already there", Michael couldn´t let himself hope that the woman he loved was just acting to fool Khivar, because he would be crushed when he would realize that he fell directly in their hands by believing it.

Mike was two seconds away from strangling his father or at least hit him over the head with something heavy. How many times did he have to say that everything they had done was just a trap for Khivar? They needed his trust to find out his weak spot, so that they could annihilate him forever. " No she´s not, dammit!".

Michael was a little taken aback when the walls around him started to shake slightly and small rocks were raining down on them. Now he finally knew that the boy was his son, they both had a short temper and their powers got out of whack when they were angry. " I want to believe you, but I can´t".

" What are two talking about".

Mike cringed at the cold glare coming from Khivar, who was standing at the entrance of the room. He hoped that he hadn´t been able to listen to a word they had spoken, because then he and his mother would be screwed and with that the royal four as well. " Nothing. I just thought he should eat something".

Khivar walked towards them and it was very obvious that he wasn´t happy with the situation. Stopping in front of the junior commander, he tried to intimidate the boy with his height and the ice in his glance. He didn´t like when someone was breaking his rules and he hated to get disrespected from a guy that was far beneath him. " Did I give the order to do that? I think not", slapping Mike he heard with satisfaction the dish falling on the ground and a small moan.

" Get your hands away from my son!", Maria stormed in the room and shooting a pretty powerful blast at him, making him crash painfully hard against the wall. Her nostrils flared while her hands crackled with red energy, her eyes were complete black and her chest heaved with rage.

Khivar stood up from the ground, dusted his clothes off from the dirt and pushed his arm back into place before he turned his attention on his furious wife. Now more than ever he realized that he made the right choice by choosing her, she was tapping into her powers quickly and she was even better than anyone he knew. " You´re good", lifting his hand, he pressed it into a fist. Noticing the panicked look from her, he knew that she would love the next step. " But not so good like me".

Seconds after the words had been out of his mouth, Michael started choking and coughing, trying desperately to get air in his lungs and struggling against his bonds. His eyes widened while fear was having him in a nice grip.

" Stop that. You promised you wouldn´t touch him", that had been her only reason for making everyone believe that she betrayed her friends, her only reason to play this game. She felt tears gathering in her eyes at the sight and she stepped in front of him to prevent her husband from killing Michael. " Please, leave him alone".

Khivar hated his brother in that instant, wondering why all the girls were willing to give their life for the commander, although the guy wasn´t doing anything romantic at all, but every female creature was immediately risking their lives to save him. For a tiny moment he considered tightening his fist and watching one of the royal four breathing for the last time. Unfortunately he couldn´t stand to see his wife sad, so he loosened his hold. " Fine. I will step back this time. But you use your powers against me again, I will kill him".

Maria nodded submissively, dropping her gaze to the ground and fighting with the notion to beat herself up for reacting so passionately, although she had said that she would give Michael up to be with Khivar one hundred percent, she hadn´t been able to control herself in that moment. She could have blown her cover, just like that and she had to make amends now, a thought that was not making her happy. " I understand".

" And you boy, don´t ever go behind my back again or your mother is going to suffer", Khivar glowered at the young guy, who got instantly pulled back behind his mother when he walked past them. He had to keep an eye on the boy, he could become a problem and he didn´t need that.

Maria immediately relaxed as soon as he was gone and she rubbed her face, already tired of his mood swings. The day before he had been in high spirit, listening to her and giving her his whole attention. He hadn´t even complained when she said that she didn´t feel well enough to do anything with him that was in any way sexual. But this morning he woke up in this furious temper, ignoring her and snapping at anyone crossing his path, even Rath had walked in another direction after seeing what was going on.

Mike stepped around his mother and stared at her expression, almost instantly realizing that her small outburst had taken a lot out of her. She looked pale and weak, something that he thought he wouldn´t ever have to witness, remembering the strong but slightly bitter and caring person he knew. " Are you okay?".

" I should be the one asking you that", noticing the purple area under his eye, she winced at the imagination how much that had to hurt. Taking his face carefully in her hand, she looked at the bruising closely and was relieved to realize that it appeared worse than it was. " I´m sorry, I promise you that he won´t touch you ever again".

Mike shook his head and pulled back from the touch of his mother. She was still concerned about everyone else instead of taking care of herself. He had went through much worse injuries in the future, most of them inflicted from Khivar, who he had thought had been his father at the point, so the physical pain wasn´t so bad as the pain of knowing that you weren´t wanted from your Dad. " Don´t worry about me, I´m used to his beatings".

Michael had a feeling of déjà vu, just that he wasn´t the one this time and strangely it made it worse to know that his own son had shared the same childhood. He finally understood the risk of traveling back in time to change the past and even sign his own death sentence by doing that. " Then why are you supporting his team?".

" I have to if I want to keep an eye on Mom".

Maria felt guilty for not being a good mother and for screwing up so royalty. In that moment she figured out that she was in an entrenched situation where she didn´t know how she could get out of. She had thought she was doing the right thing by convincing everyone that she had turned sides, that she was a soulless bitch. Even risking that her friends would hate her forever seemed to have been an agreeable consequence if she could protect them by finding Khivar´s weak spot. And now she wondered if she wasn´t head over heels in something that was way too much for her. " Have I always been such a bad Mom?".

Mike hated to hear the waver in her voice and knowing that she was hurt because she felt like she screwed up as a parent, which couldn´t be further from the truth. She had usually been the one putting herself in front of him to keep Khivar from taking his anger out on him and she had done the same today again. " You´re not a bad Mom, just a person with a too big heart and a really low level of self-preservation".

" As soon as this is over, I will change completely. I´ll make sure that you´re well protected and that you never have to go through so much misery again", Maria hoped she would get the chance to do that in the first place. After today she wasn´t so sure if she had the stamina and the strength to endure the torture of playing the loving wife anymore.

Mike wished he could show her the future and what a great mother she had been for him. She had done so much for him, little things that were normal for humans but not for Khivar and so much more. If he would have the chance to change something, he was sure that it wouldn´t be his Mom. Well maybe her stupid plan to act like she betrayed her family and friends, but other than that, there wasn´t anything. " Don´t, you don´t have to change for me. Just be careful".

Michael noticed her putting her hand carefully over the spot where their child was resting and it finally registered with him that he was going to be a father. With everything going on he hadn´t really grasped the thought, although he had realized that Mike was his son, but that there was a baby growing inside Maria´s body had really escaped him. He just saw her turning evil on them. " Why have you done all that? Why did you let Max get hurt? What reason could you have to sacrifice my family?".

" I don´t have to explain myself to you", Maria turned to go, not wanting to see the accusation in his glance and fearing that he could see the guilt in her eyes. She would keep away from him as long as she couldn´t hide her true feelings better. She didn´t want to give Khivar more ammunition against her.

Michael couldn´t believe that she was turning her back on him and giving him the cold shoulder. He wanted so much to yell at her to tell him why she was doing all that after all they had been through, to shake her until she was becoming the girl who always supported his ideas, but he was sure that it was pointless. " Yeah, not anymore".

Maria strode out of the room, her shoulders slumped and her heart heavy in her chest. She felt like the worst person in the world and even lower than scum. Khivar was expected to be evil so it wasn´t such a shock for anyone if he was so cruel. But she was usually a nice person and she had risked the lives of her friends because she was afraid. Wiping the tears that had leaked away from her face, she wished that she hadn´t been human and that Khivar wouldn´t have found her only weak spot, an angle he could use to keep her in line. Walking in the bedroom she was so deep in her self loathing that she missed that she wasn´t alone.

" About time you got here".

Maria cringed when she heard the voice and she tried to hide the fact that she had been crying. Glancing at the bedspread she steeled herself for the confrontation that would be coming right now. She had gone against part of their deal and against him; she had known that he would let her pay for that little stunt. " Sorry, lost track of time".

Khivar closed the door tightly behind him, not wanting anyone to see what would happen in the next few hours and not wanting to have her son come barreling into this room to protect his mother. Walking towards her like a predator stalking his prey, he sensed that she already expected him to give her hell for defying him and he found it even sweeter. " Look at me! I want to see you".

Maria turned around and held her head high. She was sure that she would be punished no matter what, so she could do it with as much dignity as she could muster at that point. Glaring at him, she took on a defensive stance and waited for him to do something.

" I see you already know what´s happening", Khivar stopped directly in front of her shape and glowered down at her. He had done a lot for this woman, sparing her human friends, promising her that her precious commander wouldn´t be harmed and giving her a place at his side and she was repaying that by breaking the rules he had put up.

Maria had to repress her urge to step back from him and hide somewhere to escape the situation. She knew that it wouldn´t help her, because he would find her no matter where she would go and then he would punish her for her defiance towards him. He had killed people for far less reason than that and she wasn´t so sure if he would stop with his own wife. " Yeah".

Khivar shot his arm out and he grasped her hair, like he had done in the dream space. Pulling her face closer to his, he let his anger out on her. She was supposed to have his back and do what he wanted her to do, not still supporting the other side. He should have brainwashed her so he could have programmed her mind from anew and not threat her into cooperating with him. " You went against me and I don´t like that, especially in front of my prisoner. You agreed to keep to the deal and I expect your undivided loyalty".

" You can´t have it. I gave up my friends, convinced them that I turned sides, told you where the Granolith is and I promised you to keep away from Michael, but you´re not getting my loyalty", that was the only thing that she wouldn´t give up without a fight. She could play her role until she figured out a way out of this situation and she would be the perfect wife to him, but she would never stand behind him or his believes.

Khivar wasn´t so thrilled to hear that and he felt a tad bit bad about having to teach her how a future Queen should behave. She had a lot of potential for a human, but she still had a lot to learn if she wanted to stay alive. " Oh, so you had to sacrifice a lot, hu? What about what you got from me? I give you power, wealth and a place as a ruler over a whole planet".

Maria wanted to fling at him that she didn´t care about those things, that she just wanted her family and her friends to live in peace, to never have to worry about anything out of his world and just concentrate on their lives. But she knew it wouldn´t get her nowhere, she still needed him to be on her side, just for a little bit longer. " And I´m very grateful for that. I´m trying very hard here, but you have to be patience with me. I´m still human and I will make mistakes".

" That´s the reason why you´re still alive", Khivar would have put her at the same spot as her friends if he wasn´t sure that he could control her, that he still had a small chance to turn her on his side permanently.

Maria wished he finally would ease his grip on her hair; her scalp was starting to hurt now and she wanted to be as far away from him as she could possible manage at the moment. Unfortunately he seemed to be enjoying the power he had over her and that he was able to steer her actions, at least most of them. " Can you do me a favor and let go of me, my head feels like it wants to explode every second".

Khivar tightened his fist around the hank of hair and whirled her around until she was facing the bed again. He would savor those next few hours and he would finally find out how much of a wildcat she was in the sac. He had seen her claws, now he wanted to discover if they were as sharp as they looked. " You think your punishment is over? Honey, that was just the beginning", and he pushed her forcefully on the bed. Maria landed with her face first on the blanket, but quickly turned around and witnessed him pulling the belt out of his pants.

" Oh no, you can do that!".

Khivar smiled down at her while he dropped his clothes one by one. He loved the panic in her eyes and to see her poor attempts to get off the bed. She always forgot how powerful he was and how much he could control with just his mind. But tonight she would find out what he could do best.

**Locker**

Mike had watched his mother walk away for a long time, seeing the slump of her shoulders and knowing how much it had been costing her to just leave the room without giving any explanation for her reason to bend to Khivar´s command. He hoped that it would pay up for them in the end and not get them all killed quicker. He hadn´t travelled back in time to make everything worse instead of better, even though it looked like they were heading in that direction at this point.

Michael saw the worry in his son´s glance and he wondered game was played. First Maria was like this cold emotionless person and now he saw a glimpse of the girl that was stepping in front of others to save them, no matter the cost. She had protected him; she had risked the fury to spare him. " What is going here? And you better tell me something, because I don´t take nothing for an answer".

" I don´t know the details, but Khivar has something to control Mom. She does what he wants and he doesn´t use whatever he has against her", Mike would feel a lot better if he knew what the bastard had to blackmail his mother to abandon all of her believes and her friends. It had to be huge or else she wouldn´t be so obediently to someone she would usually despise with a passion.

Rath finally decided in that moment to disturb the nice family gathering with his presence. Well that and the order to keep an eye on the boy. Khivar didn´t trust him any longer and he should make sure that his dupe kept in his handcuffs. " Sorry to just barge in your little conversation, but I´m here to let you know that visiting hours are over".

Mike glared at the man that was wearing his father´s face, but didn´t feel so warm and caring like his Dad did. There was something dark and evil clinging to the guy and it was curling his toe. " Just a moment".

" No, now!", Rath had better things to do than playing the babysitter for a boy that wasn´t even very dangerous to him, even if he was technically his son as well, considering that he was sharing the same DNA as his dupe.

Mike snorted angrily through his nose and he clenched his teeth together to keep from attacking the scumbag. But he knew that he would just harm the plan to blend in and blow their cover. He couldn´t let that happen and especially with his mother in the grasp of a sadistic monster. " Fine!".

Michael was surprised that his son had enough control to keep his powers in check, something the boy was better at than him. He envied that, because he would have already caused havoc in the mine and probably would have risked everybody´s lives with it. Catching the look Mike was throwing him, he was sure that their little talk wasn´t over yet and he nodded distinctly to show him that he understood.

" Move it, move it. I don´t have all day", Rath ordered slightly annoyed and bored. He could be already having fun with one of Khivar´s concubines or messing a little with Lonnie´s dupe to relieve some of his tension. It had been so long that he had been able to let off steam and he felt restless and uneasy.

Mike sighed dramatically, but followed the command without saying anything. He barely made a step when he heard a sound that was letting the blood in his veins turn to ice and his heart to beat faster. It was the loud pleading of his mother and the following screams that made him loose all of his restraints. Pushing past Rath he sprinted in the direction where the noises were coming from, not caring that someone from the guard could stop him in his haste to get to his mother.

Rath meanwhile was chasing after the young boy and he was stunned about the speed. Thankfully he was able to catch up easily; sometimes it came in handy to have lived on the street for such a long time and to have escaped the police more than once. Reaching one arm he pulled the guy back. " What the hell do you think you´re doing?".

" Let me go! I have to get to my Mom", Mike tried to wrench himself away from the other man and his painful grip. His instinct to protect his mother was overwhelming all of his other senses and he didn´t recognize anything else aside from his need to be with Mom to help her. He wouldn´t even flinch to use his powers to blast the guy off of him.

Rath had a lot to do with keeping the boy under control and he had to set his powers in to not lose his hold on him. It was really hard and he was astonished about the strength he had to fight with and he knew that they would have a problem with the guy soon. They probably had to take care of him to make sure that he wouldn´t interfere in their plans. " You can´t go in there, unless you want to get an eyeful".

Mike was two seconds away from biting his way out of the iron grip he was under. He couldn´t stand to hear the tortured cries of his mother, which were getting louder and were accomplished with the sound of slaps. " Get off me, you son of a bitch!".

" Sorry junior, but you´re not giving me any other choice", Rath wasn´t in the mood to have a showdown with the boy, he wanted to save his strength for someone else and it wasn´t exactly this someone. Touching the young man´s head with his hand, he felt him slump lifeless in his arms.

Dragging the body after him, he was relieved when the cries stopped and it was quiet again. Khivar always knew how to hush his bitches before the real fun began. Looking at the boy at his feet, he wondered if he had enough time to put him away and join the pleasure.

TBC


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20 Bruise easily**

Michael had been very confused when his son started to run like his life would depend on it and that Rath was following so quickly after the boy. But then he had heard the screams as well and he instantly realized what had Mike in such a hurry, he would recognize that voice everywhere, even in panic he knew the person giving out those cries. Tugging at his chains he was stunned about the urge to come to her rescue, even though she had hurt him badly with her betrayal and yet he didn´t even think twice about getting her out of the hands of the bastard. It was probably his still existing connection with Maria that was forcing the reaction out of him.

" Looks like you´ve got yourself a roommate", Rath walked swiftly towards his dupe with Mike hauling behind him. Smiling like he just told the funniest joke on the world, he used his powers to pin the boy at the wall besides his father and put the cuffs around his wrists.

Michael saw his son hanging lifeless at the chains with his head dropped on his torso. For a moment he was worried that Mike was dead, but thankfully he noticed the chest rising and falling, which made him realize that the guy was still breathing. " What have you done to him!".

Rath looked at his dupe with one eyebrow raised in annoyance, wondering why the guy was always so angry and yelling at everyone. It wasn´t like he had any reason to be in such a bad mood. Unlike his friends he was at least not getting tortured or in any danger of getting killed in the near future. " Nothing, I had to subdue him or else he could have really hurt himself".

" If you touch him again I will personally kick your ass", Michael seethed while he pulled so hard at his chains that the wall behind him started to crumble around the area. No one was hurting his son ever again, not as long as he still had a little life in his body and as long as he was able to do something against it.

Rath was surprised about the dropping temperature in the room and the dark atmosphere surrounding them. Glancing at his dupe, he was thrown for a moment when he saw the eyes from the other man change color and turn completely black until nothing white was visible anymore. But he was sure that it was all show, because the guy wasn´t ready to unleash the beast inside him yet. " Are you sure you can reach me?", turning around he stretched his bottom in the direction of his dupe. " Okay, try to kick my ass".

Michael glared at the bastard, not liking to get mocked from someone with the intelligence of a tea bag. Ripping at the cuffs around his wrist, he felt the material cutting into his flesh and the warm blood dripping down his skin. Smelling the scent of the red liquid he noticed something inside him snapping, breaking its way out of its prison. He could already taste the madness on his tongue and for once he wasn´t afraid of his powers and to unleash them, because no matter what happened he would make sure that his dupe wouldn't see the next day.

" I´m waiting here", Rath taunted amused, wriggling his backside in boldness and smiling giddily. Unfortunately for him the expression didn´t stay long on his face when he heard the breaking of something metallic behind him and seconds later he felt a chain going around his throat, tightly choking the air supply.

Michael grinned diabolical at the gurgling noises coming from his dupe and watching his eyes moving scared from side to side, seemingly searching for a way out of his predicament. Pulling the chains stronger together, he listened with satisfaction to the sound of the voice box breaking under the pressure of the grip and a while later the hissing from the punctured spot on the throat where air was escaping through a small opening.

Mike was slowly coming around to something that sounded like a teakettle and he was disoriented for a moment when he realized where he was. As soon as he saw his father killing Rath, the memory started to come back to him again and he knew what he had been doing before the lights had been shot out. Fighting with the cuffs around his wrist, he was impressed about the strength his Dad was showing and he wondered why Khivar had been able to kill the commander in the first place.

" What´s up Rath? You´re so quiet all of the sudden. Cat got your tongue?", Michael joked while he let the dead body drop on the ground, smiling at the funny line and bummed because nobody was there to hear it, at least until he noticed that his son was awake and staring at him in confusion.

Mike cringed back as soon as he got a glimpse of his father and realized that he wasn´t looking at the man that had produced him, he was looking at the man they had wrote stories about, a legend older than the written word and as dangerous as the commander himself. " Dad?".

Michael stepped closer to his son and he noted with astonishment the fear pouring out of the young boy. He was slightly irritated about that, but didn´t comment on it and just ignored the strange behavior, there wasn´t any time to have a heart to heart talk anyway. Waving his hand over the bonds, he turned around, already focusing his mind to search for the direction he had to take to find his brother. " Get out of here".

" I can´t, not after what Khivar has done to Mom", Mike still heard the screams and the sound was making him furious. Walking past his father, he marched in fast steps towards the room he was sure that his mother was in. Feeling around for the familiar tingling that was telling him that his family was near, he almost staggered at the force of pain and fear that was crashing against him.

Michael, who had instantly followed the boy, noticed the unsteady footing and gripped his son´s shoulders to keep him from crashing on the ground. As soon as he touched him he was assaulted from the same emotions of fear and pain, immediately realizing that they had to be from Maria. Turning his cold, black eyes to the door in front of them, he knew that she was in there and he pushed Mike behind him. " Stay there".

Before the poor slightly confused guy could protest about getting treated like a child, the door exploded into thousand splinters. Mike didn´t even have time to react and so he put his arms up to protect his face from getting hit from the flying objects. Seconds later he saw with astonishment that his father had pinned Khivar at the wall with his hand at the other man´s throat and a deadly growl sounding from inside him.

" You´re touching her again, I will pull your brain out of your nose!".

Mike was impressed about the strength and the determination his father was showing, glad that they were on the same side or else they would have a problem at the moment. But he didn´t dwell too much on the two fighting men, because his glance wandered to the sobbing person cowering at the corner of the room. " Mom!".

Maria looked up at son and she felt worse for him to see her like that. Standing up, at least as much as her hurting back was letting her, she moved in his direction, not wanting him to be anywhere near that monster. Wrapping her arms around herself to hide her torn clothes and the bleeding scratches, she limped forward. " Hey honey".

" I´m gonna kill you, you son of a bitch!", Mike screamed at Khivar at the sight of his mother. Her right eye was swollen shut, the left side of her face covered in blood from a bruise on her forehead, her lips were split, her shirt was damaged and bloody, but still on her body just like her pants and every visible part of her body was full of scratches or ugly red blotches that would turn into even uglier black and blue marks later.

Maria finally managed to make her way across the room and was now steering her son out of the nonexistent door in the den, where a few guards arrived, probably alarmed from the loud explosion. Some of the men saw her state and they pitied her, but most of the other men just gave her the look that she got what she deserved. And they were right; she had received what she dished out. Karma was a bitch, she should have known and every action had consequences. " You shouldn´t be here. Why aren´t you sleeping already anyway?".

Mike stared at her like he was in the wrong movie. Sleeping in this hellhole with Leatherface so close to them? That was like going to sleep knowing that Freddy Krueger was gonna kill you as soon as you started to dream. " How can I let my guard down when you´re in the hands of that man. Look at what happened".

" I´m fine or I will be as soon as the walls stop spinning around me", and she didn´t see her son in double. Her head wasn´t as robust as she had thought, especially when her skull made contact with a really hard stone wall, making her black out for a moment from the pain. That had been an experience she didn´t want to make ever again.

Mike instantly put his arms around her and ushered her towards his room, where he sat her on his bed to get a better look at her injuries. The head wound wasn´t as severe as he had feared, it had even stopped bleeding already and the scratches were a lot, but not too deep that they would leave any scars behind. Everything, except the eye, would heal pretty quickly, although he wouldn´t let her walk around looking like she got run over from a truck. " He didn´t….touch you or anything".

Maria glanced down at the shredded piece that had been her shirt and she realized that it looked like someone had tried to get her out of her clothes without waiting for her to do the job. Thankfully Khivar had given her enough powers to defend herself and her son was so protective of his mother that no one would dare lay a hand on her. " No. Do you think I would look like that if I would have let him have his way with me?".

" I was so scared when I heard you scream", Mike admitted and for the first time he appeared like the lost little boy that seemed to be hidden inside him for so long. His shoulders slumped while he sniffed and tried to repress the tears forcing their way out of his eyes, which he wasn´t able to do and so he started to cry.

Maria´s instantly pulled him down on her lap, wrapped her arms around him and rocked him like a baby, even though he was a lot heavier than that. She stroked his hair away from his face, trying desperately to calm her boy down. He had been through so much and she was only adding to his worries. She told all the time that she wanted to protect her son, but every time she turned around she made another mistake and Mike had to take the brunt of it. " I´m sorry for scaring you".

Mike should have really felt stupid for cuddling with his mother like that, especially at his age, but he savored the feeling of safety he always had received from being with her. It had been too damn long since he had been having the sense of warmth and love surrounding him. Snuggling deeper in her embrace, he remembered all the time she had held him when he had been a child and he woke up in the middle of the night, because he dreamed about bad things. " Just don´t do it again. I can´t bear to see you in pain, not again".

" I promise you that I will find a way out of this, for all of us", and she wouldn´t rest until she found Khivar´s weakness, something she could use against him without risking her family in the process. She wished she would have never got herself in this situation, even if that meant her best friend would be still in the hands of that sadistic bastard. She should have let the aliens handle everything and worse she should have listened to Michael.

Mike felt calmer and a little bit lighter, now that the tension was over and he was sure that Khivar hadn´t raped his mother. He would have probably never recovered if that would have happened once more and he wouldn´t have been able to help her again. " Just promise me that you´re careful, I don´t want anything else, just that you take good care of yourself".

Maria wondered how her son had gotten such a strong, wonderful person, even though he grew up with a soulless creature as his "father" and a weak, helpless human girl as a mother. She must have done something right in the future or Michael´s genes were better than he always thought. " I should be the one saying that to you and not the other way around".

" Oh don´t worry, you´ve done that a lot in the future", Mike pushed himself away from his mother, feeling a little stupid for having lost his composure now. He was a grown man and not a little boy, crying for his mommy. Getting back on his feet, he finally got ready to heal the injuries.

Maria saw his hand coming towards her and she knew what he was about to do. Cringing back from him, she was afraid about getting healed from him. The last time she had been having an orgasm and she didn´t want that happening again, especially with her son that would be icky. Before she however was able to protest, he was already in the middle of building a connection to her. She tried to resist at first, but was quickly swept away from the warmth spreading through her, taking away the pain along the way. For a moment she reveled in the sensation of joining her soul with her son´s, finding out things about him that he would probably never tell her, but it quickly changed when she felt him poking around in her mind, seeing things she didn´t want him to see.

Mike instantly noticed her struggling against his invasion and he doubled his effort to find out what she was trying to hide from him. Although he knew he should concentrate on healing, he couldn´t stop himself from rummaging around in her memories. Passing everything related to his father, the good and the bad times, he went straight to the last memory. Totally shocked, he discovered the reason for her betrayal, the one thing Khivar was holding over her head and he finally understood why she was playing his game. Stepping back from her, he stared at her with a panic stricken face. " He wouldn´t do that, would he?".

" I don´t know, but I don´t want to find that out as well", Maria stood up from the bed, thankfully pain free this time and put her hands on his shoulders. She didn´t just sell her friends, her second family for something trivial, she would have never done that for something small. But she had needed to choose between sacrificing three people or saving the planet and with that all the humans on it.

Mike shouldn´t have been surprised about the cruelty from Khivar, but that was nasty, even for someone like him. He was curious if Liz was even aware what was resting inside of her, ticking away and just waiting to get used. Shaking his head, he realized why the bastard was pitching his tent underground in a mine and not somewhere on the surface. He wanted to protect his own neck in case he had to activate his secret weapon. " Isn´t there anyway to disarm it?".

Maria would have loved to have an answer to that, but aside from finding the trigger she had no idea. Her best friend was a walking time bomb and the girl didn´t even know about it and she had absolutely no clue how she could get rid of the thing without risking everyone in the process. She could make everything worse if she would make a mistake and she couldn´t take the chance to speed up the end of the world. " I´m sure there is, but I don´t know how".

" So we´re at square one again", Mike felt so useless and impotent, hindered from his inexperience. There had to be some way they could damage that bugger without killing of anyone or getting them in danger. They just had to think really hard about a solution, some way out of this mess.

Maria sighed defeated, hoping for a damn miracle that would point them in the right direction. But every time she made an attempt to come up with a great plan, her mind pulled her into another direction. The attack on her had rattled her more than she had thought and she wasn´t so sure if she had done the right thing by fighting him. She had to do everything to keep him happy and too occupied that he could concentrate on something else, but the image to have him inside of her was sickening her. " We´ll come up with something, we just need more time".

Mike gave her an incredible glance, time was the only thing they didn´t have anymore. As soon as Khivar found out that Rath was dead, he would find a reason to punish one of the hybrids and he probably wouldn´t turn his focus on Max this time. Or worst case scenario, he would give the order to kill them and spare him the fun of seeing them beg for their lives like he intended. " That´s the only thing we don´t have. Dad killed Rath and….", a sudden thought occurred to him. " Oh damn I forgot about him. We have to get back to make sure he doesn´t do anything stupid".

" Stupid like getting myself in trouble?".

Maria turned to the sound of Michael´s voice and she was startled to see the unfamiliar gaze directed at her. His usual butterscotch, warm and vibrant eyes had changed into some black, cold and lifeless coals, looking exactly like Khivar´s. Even the stance and the expression were alike with that monster. " Oh shit!".

Mike heard the murmured cursing from his mother and he seconded that sentiment, seeing Khivar standing at his father´s back and smiling at them. They were really screwed if both men would work together, because their powers combined could really be the end of the world as they knew it. They could cause a nuclear explosion just with their energy. " you can say that again".

" Why are you mumbling? Is there something you want to share with us?", Michael smiled amused while he walked closer to his family, keeping his sight on his mate and watching her reaction to his transformation. She was not very happy about it apparently, stepping back from him and keeping a hand on their son. To protect him or to stop him from attacking, he wasn´t sure.

Mike immediately put himself in front of his mother, not trusting this stranger wearing his father´s face. It was like Rath all over again and the guy hadn´t been pleasant, even though he was just half as scary as this person now. " Don´t come near us!".

Michael was enjoying to see the dangerous glint in his son´s gaze, knowing that it wasn´t an empty warning, the boy would do everything to keep his mother out of harms way, even from him. But he didn´t like it to get threatened from anyone, not even his own family. No one was telling him what to do; it was the other way around. " Or what? You kill me? I want to see you try".

" Don´t tempt me, because I won´t hesitate to do it", Mike lifted his hand in defense, focusing his complete energy into one blast that he would shot as soon as it would look like his father or Khivar would attack them. His mother wouldn´t have to live with bowing to anyone ever again, not as long as he was able to avert it.

Michael exchanged an exhilarated glance with his brother before he mimicked the boy´s posture. If he wanted to fight him, he would love to see how far he would get with it. Nobody on this planet or anyone else in this universe could match his power or stop him. " You would really kill your father? Don´t I mean anything to you?".

Mike didn´t even need a second to answer that question, because he would kill his Dad in a heartbeat if that meant to protect his mother. He had lived all his life without a father figure in his life; he could live with it again. But his Mom was the only person he would give his life for. " I barely know you. You´re a stranger to me and I managed my life without a father in it".

" I´m impressed", Michael glanced past his son at Maria, who had been strangely quiet throughout the whole conversation. He saw the fear in her sparkling green eyes, but it wasn´t fear for herself, it was for Mike. She was just like the boy, so quick to sacrifice herself for his life. " We must have done something right".

Maria felt like crying when she realized that he had changed and she was angry at herself. She hadn´t been able to play the bitch to the fullest with him to make him hate her so much that he wouldn´t care what happened to her. She knew what he had been capable of doing in his past life and she hadn´t wanted him to turn into that beast again. Unfortunately she had screwed up, just like with everything else. " Yeah maybe".

Michael saw the sadness in her eyes and he moved closer to her, shoving his son out of his way while he blocked the boy´s power with his mind. He didn´t want to get blasted in his back. Cupping her face, he felt their connection flaring up at his touch and he was overwhelmed with the pain crashing like a wave over him. " I´m sorry. You´re never have to go through that again, I will make sure of that".

" Don´t touch her!", Mike seethed, wondering why his mother hadn´t kicked his father´s ass already. He didn´t want that man poisoning her with his dark energy and maybe turn her into someone else.

Michael ignored the slight nudges from his son, focusing all of his attention on the woman in front of him and the familiarity flowing between them. It was like they had existed in another time, always together and always doomed to die. Suddenly something shifted and a bright light illuminated the couple, who seemed to be trapped in some staring contest with each other.

Khivar grinned at the scene and enjoyed the moment he had been waiting for so long now, his brother back at his side with their mate in their midst. Together they would rule over this planet and watch the remaining royals dying slowly day by day. He would finally get his wish after all those years he had been anticipating since he had killed them in their last lives.

" What is going on?", Mike didn´t like the glow and the joy on Khivar´s face. Something was happening and he didn´t know what it was and how he could stop it. Strangely his mother didn´t seem to be in any pain nor did she make an impression like she felt uncomfortable. But why did he have the feeling to interfere in it then? Why couldn´t he squelch the need to rip her out of his father´s reach?

As sudden as the odd reaction had started it was over again. Michael was the first one to snap out of his trance and he instantly smiled down at Maria, the happiness in his expression was more stunning than the cold one he had been sporting earlier. Bending down he captured her lips in a soft, but yet passionate kiss before mating his forehead with hers. " **Naharuele" ( antarian for love )**

Maria´s matching joyful smile could have lit the whole planet; her eyes sparkled in delight while her cheeks had taken on a nice rosy color. It was very obvious that something had changed between them and she felt great with it. " **Teherabi" ( antrian for forever )**

" Can someone please tell me what the f+++k is going on here?", Mike had a feeling like he was in some twisted alternative universe, just that he was trapped there and didn´t know how he could get back home. Then he gasped when he saw both of his parents glancing at him with their black eyes and he realized that they had turned Darth Vader on him. " Oh god, it´s official. This planet is doomed".

TBC


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21 Candycoatedwaterdrops**

Mike hadn´t thought that there was anything worse than seeing his parents on different sides, wishing the other dead or flinging hurtful words at each other, but that had been before he witnessed them in this strange state of bliss, forgetting everything around them and acting like they had been kidnapped from Bodysnatchers. It had been weird to see them hating each other guts, but nothing compared to see them so happy and talking in hushed whispers in some odd language he didn´t understand. Khivar wasn´t helping matters at all either, because he had left as soon as the transformation had been finished.

" Alright, I´ll ask again and you better be prepared to see me getting violent if I don´t get an answer. WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?".

Maria turned in his direction, her gaze suddenly changing to a hard stare and her eyes looking cold. It was like she had been interrupted by something very important and she wasn´t very happy about that fact at all. Stepping away from her partner, she moved to her son and she appeared threateningly, even though she was smaller than the boy. " There´s no need to scream, we´re not deaf, son".

Despite the calm words and the way she was talking to him, Mike had never felt more alert than he did at this moment. He had expected her to be loud or growl at him, but this normal voice was scaring the hell out of him, because it wasn´t matching the posture of his mother and he was afraid that she was just playing with him. " I just want to know what happened to you and you haven´t listened to a thing I was saying, so I thought I had to make myself audible".

" We heard you the first time, but we just wanted to enjoy the moment together", Maria was confused about the guarded stance from her son and wondered why he seemed to go into defensive mode with her. Stretching her hand out to touch him, reassure him that there was nothing to be frightened of, she was hurt when he pulled back from her. " What´s wrong? Why are you so scared?".

Mike cringed back from her, not wanting her to be near him with her hand in case she would be trying to make him join their party. He was stunned that he still felt like himself, even though both of his parents were evil and he was already with his mother, but he didn´t want to push his luck too much. " I want you to keep your distance until I know why you changed".

Michael was instantly at his mate's side and put his arm around her shoulder, sensing that it would get ugly in the next minutes. She wouldn´t just take it too lightly if her only son didn´t want anything to do with her. " How can you say that to your mother?".

" How can **I** do that? How about what you two are doing? Yesterday you wanted to kill her, because you thought she was betraying you and today you´re all cuddly with her? I don´t understand what´s going on and I´m afraid that whatever possessed you will change me, too", Mike would stay away from them as long as he wasn´t sure what was wrong with them or he could be positive that they weren´t brainwashed from Khivar.

Maria´s expression finally changed and it was not the bitter or the happy mask she had been wearing earlier, it was the exact opposite this time. Her eyes turned back to the green color they were all used to and they were glistening with unshed tears while her lips, slightly swollen from kissing, trembled. " Changes are not always bad. Sometimes changes have to be made to achieve something, but that doesn´t necessarily mean we´re evil people".

Mike wasn´t sure if she was trying to tell him something with that or if she really believed the crap she was sprouting. Although he was in agreement that changes weren´t such a bad thing most of the time, he couldn´t make himself trust his mother or even his father, not yet at least and he wondered if he would ever be able to do that again. " Do you listen to yourself? You´re both completely under Khivar´s spell. I want my parents back, just the way they had been before".

" We´re still there, just that we´re more. It´s such a rush to be free of everything that´s holding you back", Michael took advantage of the distracted mind of his son and put his hand on the boy´s shoulder. Within seconds the a shudder went through both males and a bright light illuminated the room shortly before everything turned back to its former state.

Mike finally knew what his parents wanted to explain to him and he had to agree with them. Changes weren´t necessarily a bad thing and the rush was like nothing else. Looking up at his father and his mother with his black soulless eyes, he smiled at them.

**Locker room**

Max felt like his back was lit on fire and every time he made a wrong move the pain flared to life again, making him bit his lip to keep from screaming. He was still in shock that someone he had considered family was capable of hurting him and the others like that. Maria had been his rock when Liz had walked away from him and she had even listened to him when the whole Liz/Kyle cheating thing had happened. He had never imagined that there could be so much evil in her, because she was one of the nicest person he met. She was usually the first to offer her help when someone needed it or lent you a hand with something. But this persona was worlds apart from the girl he knew. She was actually scaring him with her dead eyes and the hate she was emitting with every word.

" Do you think the others are safe?", Isabel disturbed his train of thoughts. She couldn´t stand the silence any longer and the worrying about Alex was slowly driving her crazy, even though she was sure that she should rather concern herself with her own life before she could keep busy with those of her friends.

Tess smiled slightly when she heard that, because she had been thinking about the same thing just now. She was wondering if Jim and Kyle were unhurt and waiting for them to come back. She hoped that they had packed their things and got the hell out of dodge, but she was sure that they were trying to make a plan to rescue them. " Yeah, at least Maria did that right".

Isabel grimaced at the name, although the long time with nothing to do had changed her opinion a little. As much as she wanted to hate the girl for selling them to the enemy, she could partly understand her motivation. If someone offered her some way to keep her family and her boyfriend safe by giving up Liz, Maria and Kyle she would have probably done the same without thinking.

" You know what was strange? When Rath got a little overboard with his enthusiasm Mike stepped in between to stop him from killing me", Max didn´t want to think about his second worst moment in his life, but he thought that it could mean something. Maybe their friend wasn´t so lost like they believed and somewhere in this hardened shell hid their real self.

Isabel flinched at the mention, still remembering the moment when her brother got dragged in here, hanging lifeless in the arms of Rath and Mike and getting put back at the wall. Both had been covered in blood, Max´s blood and it had scared her. " I know what you mean. When Khivar gave the command to punish you, I saw Mike and Maria´s stunned expression, like they hadn´t known that something like that would happen and they weren´t able to stop it".

Tess had witnessed the same, but she wasn´t sure if she just wanted to believe it or if it really happened. She had been too panicked to register anything else and so she didn´t trust her eyes that much, although she wished that this was all just a ploy for Khivar and they were just acting to find a way to kill the bastard. " It could be a trick. I say we don´t trust anyone aside from us".

" What about Michael? Do you think he´s here as well?", Max didn´t want to picture his brother alone somewhere, thinking that he was failing them by not doing what he thought was his job.

Isabel hoped that Maria had spared her brother that fate, especially considering the human girl had done that to keep her lover out of this mess, but she thought that everything was possible at this point, so she couldn´t trust her rational thinking that much. It wouldn´t be so off that Khivar would keep Michael here just to taunt them. " Some part of me says no, but another one says that we should expect him sooner or later".

Michael chose this moment to make his entrance with Maria at his side and his son behind him. The three of them looked for the first time like a real family, although the black eyes were making them appear not so friendly, but at least they seemed to be on the same page for once. " How about sooner?".

" Not you, too, everyone but you", Max couldn´t believe that his brother would be so easy to manipulate. Shaking his head, he let the feeling of defeat wash over him and he prayed that at least their human friends were in safety out there.

Mike stepped around his parents and walked towards the prisoner, enjoying having the power to decide about life and death. The fear in the eyes of his victims was like an aphrodisiac to him and he enjoyed it. He had always been on the other side, crouching in fright in front of Khivar and pleading to stop. " What´s wrong fearless leader? Disappointed that my Dad did the only right thing by joining the winning team?".

Isabel was openly fighting with the tears appearing in her eyes and making them glistening like diamonds. She had worried about Michael and now he was standing there, looking down at them like they were insects with Maria at his side, like she couldn´t wait to annihilate them. " You´ve done something to him, he would never side with Khivar otherwise!".

" Don´t be so sad sweetie, you can still change your mind and come to us. You just have to be prepared to follow our orders", Maria left the warmth of her mate and moved closer to the blonde alien girl, wondering why she had always been so scared of her in the first place. Now that she was stripped of her powers, there wasn´t anything left to be scared of.

Isabel glared at her former friend with as much venom as she could muster before she did something that she hadn´t been sure she could do. She spit right in Maria´s surprised face and she felt good at the action, sure she would do the same again if she had to. " I would never join you, bitch!".

Maria wiped the saliva from her cheek, shuddering slightly at the knowledge to have spit in her hair for the rest of the day. Rubbing her wet hand on her pants, she smiled satisfied at the alien girl. She couldn´t wait to put the defiance out of her and teach her that it wasn´t smart to piss off someone that could really help you. " I hoped you would do that", turning around she yelled. " Honey, do you mind if I play with Isabel a little?".

" No of course not, knock yourself out", Khivar put his head inside the locker room, having been close by and listening to the conversation. He was pleased to see his family turning out so good.

Maria blew him a kiss before she turned her head back in the direction of the prisoner and grinned joyful at the blonde alien, eyes sparkling in glee. Waving her hand over the chains holding the cuffs, she took them to drag the other girl behind her towards the torture chamber with all the funny looking tools. " See you guys later".

Michael exchanged an amused glance with his son, liking the playful mood she seemed to be in. He had wondered where the bubbly person had been hiding for so long and was glad that she was still there, just waiting for a chance to appear again. Shaking his head he paid close attention to the remaining prisoner. Max was struggling against his bonds, watching the girls walk out of the room and fighting to free himself to protect his sister. " Don´t worry so much about Izzy, she´s tougher than you think".

" Why are you doing that? We´re your family and you side with the man that killed us in our past life".

Michael stepped towards his best friend and put both his hands of either side of the guy´s head, leaning threateningly in front of him until they were nose to nose. He could feel the air around them charge with energy, smell the fear pouring out of Max and the heartbeat picking rapidly. " He is my family, my real family. And he didn´t kill me, he can´t, because we´re the same. Vilandra had been the one ending me. She used our relationship to fool me and I fell into her trap".

Max couldn´t believe that, it didn´t sound like his sister at all. She was a caring person and couldn´t hurt a soul, especially someone she loved. That was probably just another tactic to throw them off guard and play with their minds. " Isabel would never do that and you know it. Khivar has put that in your head and you just swallow the shit?"

" He hasn´t done anything, aside from making me remember. I know everything now, every little part of my life as Rath, because I am Rath. And I´m not talking about Sewerboy", Michael shouldn´t have been surprised about the former King, the guy loved to be blind when it came to reading people. Zan had done that a lot as well, just putting his head in the sand and waiting until the worst was over.

Max swallowed visibly at the meaning of the statement and he realized that he really was screwed. He had always suspected that as soon as Michael would figure out how to use his powers completely they all had to prepare for the end of the world. And after having tasted a small part of the power, he was sure that the moment had come to make his prayers. " Then why are you wasting your time with us?".

Michael slightly relaxed his posture and moved a little back from his friend to give him room to breathe. He didn´t want to scare the poor guy to tears, it wasn´t his style. He would do everything different this time and it meant not trusting the wrong people, he had enough experience to know that it would just get him killed again. " It´s fun and I finally have an outlet for all the time you held me back or turned me down or told me that I wasn´t enough to do something. You know, you really hurt me back then, made me feel inferior to the great Max, who had everything. But now I know why you´re like that and I just feel pity for you".

" I´ve never wanted to make you feel inferior to me, I just wanted to protect you from yourself. You were slowly heading towards an abyss and I needed to keep you from falling down. You´re my brother and I love you", Max knew that even though his friend had changed into his past self, the feelings were still of that from the boy from the wrong side of the tracks. He suspected that Michael was having those feelings towards him, but he thought that it wasn´t that bad, especially considering that they never talked about that at all.

Michael chuckled darkly, glancing in the direction of his son, who was watching both men with boredom. It was probably not the most entertaining thing for a young boy and he couldn´t blame him. This conversation wasn´t something of importance for Mike and it would be better if he had something else to do. " Why don´t you go and help your Mom?".

Mike was relieved to have an excuse to make an escape from that place. Not that he had anything better to do at the moment, but it was´t exactly his kind of action. Hearing the screams from the other chamber, he came to life again. " Okay, later".

" He´s such a Momma´s boy", Michael smiled and this time it was a real smile and not the fake thing he usually did with others. He was so attached to the boy already and he loved the feeling of being a Dad, even though he hadn´t been having too much time to live it to the fullest, but that would change as soon as this was over.

Max didn´t feel so relaxed and he could have kicked his ass for always playing everything so safe while he should have learned to defend himself. He had always thought that he didn´t need to worry about that, because Michael would have his back in every situation. But who would have thought that one of their own would betray them? And now his sister was getting tortured while he had to listen helplessly. " How can you stand there and be happy when Isabel is in so much pain? She´s your sister as much as she´s mine".

Michael turned his attention back to his former friend and he was slightly amused about the Great King and how nice it was to hear him beg. It was pathetic that someone like him had been able to lead a whole Kingdom. No wonder Courtney and her Renegades would have rather followed him, because he would have been a better choice obviously. " She get´s what she deserves, that´s the way of the world or at least in this world".

" She never did anything bad to you, she loves you and she would have done anything for you", Max had to use another angle in his pleading or else he would never be able to see another day. This creature wearing his brother´s face was scaring him. It was impossible to estimate what the guy would do every moment.

Michael was getting fed up with hearing that mushy stuff, he wasn´t here to get emotional with another man and he didn´t feel so comfortable with it. Leaving his spot in front of Max, he was on his way to see what his mate and his son were doing when a new noise hit his ears. It sounded like a banging door followed by a loud fight. Without saying anything he started running in the direction of the torture chamber and tried to open the door.

Unfortunately it seemed to be stuck or getting hold close from alien powers, because he wasn´t able to open the damn thing, no matter how much strength he was using to put his whole body weight on it, nothing was helping. Slapping his hand against the wooden entrance, he felt something was seriously going wrong behind that door. " Maria! Mike! Open up!".

" What´s going on?", Khivar had seen his second in command Nicholas storming past him with a strange expression and he had been really confused about the changing of the screams. What the hell was happening among his people right now?

Michael shook his head; he was as much in the dark about the activity in that room as anyone else. But as soon as he heard a cry of pain coming from Maria, he didn´t care about anything else, he had to get in there one way or another. Focusing all of his energy in his body he blasted the damn door out of his way, not even caring that he could get hurt in the process. The picture that presented itself to him was not what he had expected.

Maria was lying face first on the ground, Mike was standing real close to her and his hand was outstretched in front of him, a look of awe on his face. The whole room was covered in white flakes, which were raining down on them and making them realize that Nicholas was apparently history.

" What the hell happened here?", Michael was the first to get in action and stormed towards his mate. Kneeling besides her, he breathed out in relief when she looked up at him with clear eyes and relatively unharmed.

Maria had never been so glad to see her spaceboy than in that moment. Everything had been going on so quickly that she hadn´t been able to notice how it happened. She just had reacted instinctively and before she knew it, something caught her and she crashed on the floor, hoping that her baby boy wouldn´t get hurt in the process. " Nicholas stormed in here, screaming something in antarian at me, which I haven´t been able to understand and started to blast around. One of them hit Isabel and it killed her, the next one came at me and I barely had time to react before I crashed".

Mike was still a little shaken about his first successful power blast. He was so proud that he had finally managed to protect his mother from any major harm. He just saw the bastard aiming at her and he hadn´t thought, he just did what he thought was right and the anger inside him helped him discover how much was in him. " The scumbag wanted to kill her as well, but I didn´t give him time to get through with it".

" You did good, I´m really proud of you", Michael helped Maria back on her feet, now that he was sure that she wasn´t hurt in any way, aside from being a little shocked about the incident. Ruffling his son´s head, he decided to get his family out of here and maybe some rest in their room.

Khivar just stared at the empty chamber and his expression didn´t give anything away what he was feeling. Shaking his head he made his way back in his war room, at least he didn´t need to get his hands dirty this time. Those two would have died either way, so he was glad that he hadn´t been the one to do it. " One gone, two to go".

Maria leant against her mate and she savored the feel of his warmth engulfing her like a blanket. Snuggling her head on his shoulder, she looked up at his face with a smile on her face, which he returned immediately. Both turned to their son, who was having the same expression on his face like his parents.

TBC


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22 Numb**

Maria felt a little queasy after the fight with Nicholas, although psychological she had never been better since the fateful day at the Crash Down, but physically she wasn´t exactly on the up at right now. It was a mix between craving for food and feeling sick to the stomach, something that was hardly to describe. She was used to feeling nauseas all the time, because it had started from the moment she had known that she was pregnant, however this was different.

Looking at Michael, who was smiling like he just won the lottery, she wondered why he didn´t feel anything. He was linked to her and he should at least notice that something was wrong inside her body. But apparently he seemed to not realize what just happened. Maybe the attack had hurt her more than she had thought. Putting her hand over her belly, she instantly sensed the energy of her son and she was relieved to know that he hadn´t been harmed in any way. Okay it was probably just her imagination and she needed to rest for a while.

" What´s wrong?".

Maria was startled when Mike asked her that question, having forgotten that he would be the first person after her that would know when something was seriously out of whack with her. She always felt guilty for making him worry all the time about her and now that she saw his concerned expression, she couldn´t help but blame herself for thrusting so much on his shoulders. " It´s nothing major, just pregnancy finally catching up with me".

At that Michael lost his happy mood immediately. He didn´t knew anything about human/alien pregnancies and how he could help. Hell he didn´t even have any knowledge about normal pregnancies and he felt so out of the water that he was afraid to make a mistake. " What is it? Where does it hurt?".

" I´m just a little nauseas, that all, nothing a nap can´t cure", Maria had been lucky until now, aside from having the slightly sick feeling she hadn´t suffered the other symptoms they had learned in school or her mother had told her in all great details to scare her away from sex.

Mike ducked his head, knowing that he was the one causing all this. It was weird to see his mother and to know that he was inside her, which sounded nastier than he had intended, even in his own mind. But which boy had the chance to maybe be able to see himself getting born? " I´m sorry".

Michael patted his head lovingly before pulling him at his side. His own family and no one would ever be able to take that away from him, he would make sure of that. Rubbing Maria´s belly to ease some of the sick feeling, he was stunned to feel a small bump where her flat skin should be. He hadn´t known that his son would be growing so quickly, a few days ago he hadn´t even kown that a child was existing and now he was touching the spot where Mike was resting, safe and sound. Steering them in the direction of the master bedroom, even though his brother would be pissed to get banned from his sleeping place, he couldn´t wait to see what he felt. " Oh wow, Mike you have to touch this".

" I´m not a Buddha statue you can touch whenever you like", Maria pushed both of her boys away from her. She already felt like she was bloated, she didn´t need to have someone point out at her that she was slowly getting fat. Leaving them swiftly behind her, she almost ran headlong into someone else.

Khivar had waited for her to come back to their room and he was a little annoyed that the other two men were following her as usual. They never left her alone and he was sick of them always sticking together. She was his and he had every right to have some privacy with his wife. " Easy love, we don´t want you to get hurt".

Maria couldn´t help herself, but she flinched back from him. There was something unnerving when he was so nice towards her. She could deal with him in his asshole mood, even his cold shoulder treatment was no problem with her, but every instinct was on red alert as soon as he was being nice, that wasn´t so like him at all. " Yeah sorry, I´m a little rattled right now".

" Why? What´s wrong?".

Mike felt his toes curling at the sweet voice and the way the guy was pretending to care for his mother, although he knew better than that. He still wasn´t so comfortable with Khivar being so close to her and eying her with his cold, calculating eyes. " She doesn´t feel so good at the moment, so if you excuse us we want to make sure that she get´s some rest".

Khivar turned his soulless gaze on the boy and he clenched his teeth before he would say something that would hurt the deal he got with Maria. No matter what the others thought, he wasn´t one for breaking promises, especially ones that could benefit him. He wanted his brother and the girl on his side, which would never happen if he would kill their child. So he swallowed his anger and imagined the many ways he could let the boy beat the dust. " Should I let someone check you? We´ve got great healers".

" No, I just want to sleep for a while", Maria smiled reassuringly at him, not wanting to have someone else put his hands on her right now. She had to get used to this feeling, because it looked like she had to endure that a few more months longer.

Michael instantly pulled her closer at his body and put his arm around her in a gesture of possession, making it apparent who she belonged to. The look in his eyes was unmistakable and very much threatening in its intensity. No matter who he was, he would never share something that meant so much to him. " If you let us pass, I can take care of her".

Khivar bristled at the implication of the statement and he knew in that instant that they had a problem. He wouldn´t give her up and his brother wouldn´t leave her side, a situation that was all too familiar for him, just with the difference that he wouldn´t make the same mistake he had done back then. This time he would fight for the girl. " I will take care of her, after all she´s my wife".

" No she´s not. I bonded first with her and that means your connection with her is broken, which in return means she´s my wife and not yours".

Khivar glared at him, feeling the urge to mark his terrain and show him that it wasn´t smart to anger him. She was his and he wasn´t about to let him have her without a fight, even if that meant that it would lead to one of them dying. Rath had already stolen his wife from his past life, he wouldn´t just sit back and watch him do that again.

Maria instantly realized that the tension was thickening and she was afraid that both males would start to blast around with her son in the line of fire. Putting herself in between the men she let her eyes travel from one to the other, giving the two of them a heated gaze for treating her like an object rather than a person. " Would you stop it! I´m standing right here and I don´t need two idiots fighting over me like a piece of land!"

" I´m just telling my brother that he should keep his distance from you", Michael acted like he hadn´t done anything wrong, that he just did what was expected and nothing was wrong with it, although he knew that if the situation would be different Maria would have already kicked his ass by going all caveman on her.

Khivar snorted not in amusement and a small chuckle escaped him, making him look for a moment very human. Well at least until the crazy twinkle came back in his dark eyes, which let him appear like an imitator for the role of Jack Nicholson in " One flew over the Cuckoos Nest". " And I´m just trying to get my brother across that he missed his chance and now he´s too late".

Maria rolled her eyes at the testosterone display and decided that it wouldn´t get her anyway if she started to get mad at them. Shaking her head, she took her son and just let them stand there while she walked towards the master bedroom. She didn´t care if they began to bash their heads in, as long as she wasn´t there to witness it. Looking at her son, she promised herself she would raise him differently. " I hope you´re not coming after your father. Don´t treat your girlfriend like she´s just an object or she will be very pissed".

" Yeah, even I knew that one. I can´t believe that Dad did that, although you should be glad that they didn´t pee on you", Mike wished so much that Khivar would keep his hands off of his mother and look for some other female he could control, the reason why he travelled back in time to prevent that relationship from happening.

Maria had to laugh about that despite the strange feeling in her guts and the tension between the two men. She didn´t want to imagine one of them lifting his leg and just relieving themselves on her or something, it was a disgusting thought. " Let´s not give them any ideas", stopping in her tracks, she bent down when a sharp pain let her catch her breath for a moment.

Mike was immediately worried and put his arms around her to hinder her from falling down. He glanced frantically behind him towards both men, who were still in their battle mode. Then seconds later his Dad turned in his direction, like he had felt a gaze on him and his expression darkened on the spot. Feeling a little better at knowing that his father was on his way, he paid attention to his mother again. " Mom, what´s wrong?".

" Oh wow, that had been like I got kicked in the gut", Maria got into an erect stance again and put one hand over her stomach. Now that she was really aware of the child she was carrying inside her, he made himself noticeable a lot more. Smiling she tried to send him all of her love and a warning that he should be careful with her, she wasn´t someone that could stand a lot of pain. " Don´t worry honey, you´re just getting bigger and you need more space, my body has to adjust".

At that moment Michael appeared at her side, slightly distressed and heavily fretting over his mate. He ignored her amused expression and swept her off her feet, intent on carrying her around for the rest of her pregnancy. He didn´t want to see her in any kind of pain, especially the one he had created in the first place. " You will be the death of me, do you know that? I´m already aging faster than normal because of you".

Maria should have been pissed at him for just treating her like an invalid, she hated to feel like she couldn´t hold her own, but in that instant she let it slip. He needed to take care of her and she would let him do it, at least as long as she was pregnant. However as soon as Mike was born, she would pick a fight with him, should he still behave like he did now. Besides, she didn´t want to be the reason for him to become a grandpa at such a young age, she wasn´t so into old farts. " Yeah like that's my fault, spaceboy. You just worry too much and unnecessarily at that".

" I just want anything to happen to you, not like this", Michael put his forehead on hers and pressed her body tighter at himself. He probably needed the contact with her more than the other way around. She was so fragile and could easily break, despite her believe that she was tough enough to endure everything.

Maria stroked his cheek and opened her link to him to let him feel what she was feeling. He had nothing to be scared of, not now that this whole gig seemed to finally work in their favor. They just had to wait a little longer before their plan would really put in place and the victory would be theirs. " You won´t, I promise".

Mike was so in awe how much his parents loved each other and for the first time he was glad to have come back. Now he knew that his real father had been heavily in love with his mother and he had been a product of that love. It was making him so happy to be there to witness this and to be sure that he hadn´t been a mistake in the first place, although it was even kinda icky to see his parents in action. " Could you save the touchy stuff for later, when your son isn´t present?".

" How do you think you were conceived?", Michael chuckled at horrified expression on his son´s face. The poor guy had to live with the picture of his parents getting it on forever etched in his mind or at least until they would change the future and he would be back in his own time again.

Mike put his hands over his ears, not wanting to know more information than he could handle. It was one thing to suspect that his parents were sexual active, but to have any proof was just too much for him. Even the imagination of them together in that way was making him sick to his stomach. Walking swiftly away, he fled of the safety of his room before he wouldn´t get the thought out of his system ever again.

Maria watched him with a smile on her face, realizing how much she had missed to be happy about something. Snuggling deeper into the embrace of her mate, she let herself relax for a moment and enjoyed that someone else would be carrying her weight for some time. " You probably scared him for life with this. He will never look at us the same again".

" He will get over it, besides he should be thankful that his parents love each other that much", Michael kicked the door open with his mind, not even breaking stride in his haste to be away from prying ears and eyes. And it had been a really long time that he had spent some quiet time with Maria, so he didn´t want to waste any second anymore.

Maria was stunned how gentle he was putting her on the huge bed, a bed that had been almost becoming a crime scene earlier, but despite the bad memories she didn´t feel any fear or panic. Maybe it was Michael´s presence that soothed anything that could make her afraid. Stretching, she finally noticed how much she had needed this, needed to just rest her body and not think about anything that could go wrong any minute. " That has to be heaven".

Michael slumped on the other side of the bed and he felt the tension slowly leaving him. It had been so long that he had been comfortable and so free of any fear, although he still worried about his family. Rolling on his side, he faced his mate to make sure that she was just as comfortable as him. " Do you think we did the right thing?".

" Yeah, absolutely. Do you think I would have gotten through with it if I wouldn´t have been one hundred percent behind it?", Maria copied his movement and was now lying on her side as well. She saw that he was still not so sure about their new mission, which was probably because he didn´t trust his powers yet.

Michael took her hand and played with her fingers, trying to distract him about the upcoming test ahead of them. He wasn´t so sure if they were ready to take on something that was way out of their league and what it would do to them as people. They were taking a huge risk and he didn´t feel very good with the idea of having Maria in any danger at all. " But there´s so much that could go wrong, you saw what happened earlier with Nicholas".

Maria didn´t want to think about that and how lucky she had been that her son had reacted right on time before something worse could have happened to them. She had been careless in that situation and she had to learn to listen to her instincts. Something like that would never happen again. " That had been an accident. I didn´t think he would appear just in time to see me helping Isabel escape. I thought I have blocked the door, but obviously I had been too busy with convincing Izzy to trust me that I haven´t done it properly".

" You think she trusted you enough to help us? I mean if she doesn´t dismantle the bomb inside of Liz and Khivar finds out that we´re double crossing him, everyone including us will be dead and the human race has to get used to being a slave to aliens", there was so much at stake at the moment and he wasn´t willing to risk anyone at this point, even if the rest of his family would hate him forever.

Maria hoped that Isabel believed her sincerity and was already on the way towards the cabin. She had to have faith in the girl to do the right thing or else she would lose the remaining sanity she had left. " Hopefully, but I can´t be sure. Isabel was pretty wary of me and I´m not so sure if she knew that I was telling the truth this time. I can´t really blame her, I would probably just as warily towards me after the things I´ve pulled".

Michael pulled her deeper in his embrace, playing with her hair and just savoring to have her back in his arms. It had been a hell of a week and he was sure that he would sleep three days after this experience. He would never complain about his boring life again, because as much as he hated to sit around he didn´t want anything more than be back at his apartment and sitting lazily on his couch and watch a hockey game. " I have faith in her and you will get her trust back someday. A lot had been going on and we all will need to digest everything".

" Do you know how hard it had been for me to hear you all call me a traitorous bitch or to see the hurt in your eyes?", it had been the most painful moment in her life, but she had survived it, even if it was just barely. She would never get the pictures of their hateful gazes out of her mind. It would be forever imprinted on her mind for the rest of her existence and remind her how far she would go to save her family.

Michael started combing his hands through her hair, which was getting longer and longer. He missed the short hair cut, the way it looked like the backside of a turkey and how pixie like she had appeared. Well he loved her longer hair as well, but he had been falling in love with the girl that looked like Tinkerbell. " I can imagine. You really broke my heart when you made me believe that you turned sides. I thought that I already lost you".

Maria let a small moan escape at the caressing and how soothing it was for her. She couldn´t remember the last time she had felt that content and safe, it was like it had been a lifetime ago that she had thought she would probably end with getting stuck in Roswell as a waitress while everyone else was making something out of them. But who could have known that she had been chosen to be a Queen to some planet she didn´t know? " Why is Khivar so strange? I mean not the "killing people and trying to take over a world" strange, I´m talking about his behavior towards me, first he´s very nice to me than he threatens me and now he´s back to being nice".

" You look a lot like his wife".

That stopped Maria´s good mood instantly and she pulled back from him to look in his face to see if he was joking. She couldn´t imagine Khivar as a husband, not even on his home planet. The picture was just too bizarre, even for their standards. " He´s married?".

Michael rolled on his back and took her with him, making her lay on his chest. He couldn´t remember exactly everything from his life as Rath, but more and more the memory was coming back, giving him the impression of what life had been on Antar. The good, the bad and the weird times, there was just too much confusing emotions inside him. " He was. You know he hadn´t been always such a coldhearted bastard, he had been nice once".

" Really? That´s hard to imagine", Maria just saw the dead eyes and the angry scowl he gave everyone passing him and she couldn´t believe that underneath all that should be a caring person. It was like someone was telling her that the devil was just an angel in disguise. But sometimes she got the feeling that there was more to the guy than just the front he put up and that if she would be digging deep enough she would find a vulnerable man.

Michael caressed her back with tender touches, feeling her quietly purring like a little kitten. He was glad that they had some time to rest and to talk, which made him grin at the irony. Usually talking was the last thing he was thinking about when he was alone with Maria, but after the rollercoaster of the last days, he was happy to just hear her voice. " Because you just know him now. He had been a lot like Max, just without being such a sap. Well at least until Emoyra stepped into his life. He had loved her very much and they had been very happy for a while, unfortunately she wasn´t as innocent as she wanted everyone to believe. She fooled around with his brother".

Maria gasped in surprise, wondering if he was attracted to her or to the fact that she looked like this other person. Maybe his subconscious had unknowingly sought her out as mate because she was so similar to someone he had loved in his past life. " You had an affair with the wife of your own brother?".

" Not one of my finer moments, but I had been just a man with needs and she was more than willing to give me what I wanted without any attachment".

Maria rolled her eyes in annoyance, although a small part in her was relieved to know that it had been just lust that had bound them together and not some undying love; that would have majorly sucked. At least now she could still pretend that she was the only one he ever let behind his stonewall. " You men are all the same, just thinking with your downstairs brains", seeing the mean glare directed at her, she sighed. " Okay, what happened then?".

Michael shrugged the nonchalant in person. It was the classical ending to a foreseen scene in drama. It was so obvious that it was already embarrassing to even think about the outcome of their little ménage a trios, those things never finished with everyone happy. There was no singing, no dancing and no happily ever after. " Khivar caught us, I was banned from the castle and went to Zan´s side".

" But what happened to Emoyra?", Maria didn´t want to know, because she could already picture it. She almost felt sorry for Khivar and after the way he had acted towards her that was saying a lot. But not even a scumbag like him deserved to get cheated on like that from two people he cared about the most; it was against rules to steal the woman of your brother.

Michael didn´t exactly knew what really was going down that day, but he still remembered the anguished cries from his brother when he cradled his dead wife in his arms. He still was unsure if it had been one of the soldiers or Zan himself that had fired the shot that had hit her chest in directly in her heart, killing her instantly. " She was killed from one of Zan´s men or even himself. Khivar never got over it and the only thing he lives for is revenge".

Now he had done it, now Maria was having pity with the poor bastard and it explained a lot, especially why he had the Jones for Max. It wasn´t just about power, it was very personal and she could partly understand his need to punish the murderer of his wife, even though she wasn´t so thrilled about it being one of her best friends. If Khivar wouldn´t be intent on killing her family she would have even felt sympathy for him. " That´s so sad and kinda sweet. All these years he mourned her loss".

" Sweet? You called that sweet? I call that deranged".

Maria smiled at him, knowing that he never understood the romantic notions some of the more sensitive men were doing for their spouses, even if the big lug could be quiet poetic if he wanted. " Because your like the Love Grinch, you don´t get the sentimental stuff".

Michael gently pinched her side, listening with satisfaction to the small yelp she was doing. She was always slaughtering his more than limited sensitive skills, but she never saw that he was trying. Until she came into his life, he didn´t have any reason to grow a romantic bone and with Hank being his role model she could be glad that he even let her in. " Don´t underestimate me, I can be quite a second Shakespeare if I want".

" Seriously, what is more romantic than a man just breathing for revenge for the love of his life? I mean, would you use your whole life to get back at someone that murdered your wife?", Maria knew the answer for herself, she would probably do the same if someone would kill her spaceboy. She wouldn´t rest until the man or woman would have paid for taking away her mate.

Michael didn´t want to imagine that something would happen to her, because he couldn´t bear the thought. But if anyone should dare to cut one hair from her head, there would be hell to pay. He would butcher everyone in his path without twitching or even batting an eye. He would only finish his rampage when he would find the person having done that to her and had punished him so much that he would probably fit into a lunchbox. " If someone would kill you I would spent every breathing moment looking for the bastard. I would make him wish he would have never been born".

Maria was stunned about the raw intensity of his words and she was even more surprised about the warm feeling it gave her. Michael was a little brutal, but romantic in his own way and she liked that about him. She wasn´t into saps anyway; they were too boring in her opinion. " Ditto".

" Okay, so what´s next now", Michael felt slightly uncomfortable about the sudden declaration while they were in the middle of something big, something that was more dangerous than anything they ever faced, something that could decide if they lived or died.

Maria kissed his mouth quickly, amused about his discomfort. He hated when it got too intense and he tried to change the topic, although the guy had no sense of tact and the changing was very abrupt. Usually she would tease him more, but she was sure that he wouldn´t be in the mood right. Not when two of his family members were still in the middle of the storm that was brewing. " You try to get Max out of here while I try to keep Khivar occupied".

Michael didn´t like the sound of that; he was curios what she meant with occupied and the image of her doing anything remotely sexual with his brother wasn´t sitting well with him. He had made it perfectly clear that he wouldn´t share her, not with anyone. But he even knew that she wouldn´t let herself get swayed from her plan, not even from him. " And with occupied you mean….?".

" I don´t know yet", if the situation wouldn´t be so dire, she would have felt flattered for his jealousy, but they didn´t have any time for that. Khivar wasn´t so dumb like they wanted him to be and the incident with Nicholas was still fresh in their minds. They had to act fast or they could get caught easily.

Michael hoped that everything would be going without a hitch this time, because he felt like their time was running out and he hated to have that tingling of his spider senses, at least as long as he had so much to lose. " I don´t like this".

Maria snuggled on his chest again, breathing in the scent of him and wondering when she would have enough of his smell. The world could stand in fire around her, but one whiff of his spicy tang and she wouldn´t care about anything else. It was sick and stupid, but it was reassuring as well. He was her protector, the only person she didn´t have to be afraid of. " You´re just paranoid. You´ll see, you´re worrying for nothing".

**Outside door**

Ava shook her head at the two saps in that room. She had known that they hadn´t changed sides so easily and after hearing their conversation she knew that she had been right in her assumption. They were playing against Khivar and he didn´t even notice it. Smiling at the new information she turned around to go back to her place to think about what she could do with it now. Startling for a moment she was shocked when she realized that she hadn´t been alone and two pair of steel eyes were watching her warily.

TBC


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23 Crossroads**

Ava glanced at the face that was so familiar and yet a stranger to her for a while, trying to read the expression. But all she got was a big fat nothing, there wasn´t any emotion visible in the young features, not even a small spark of anything. And oddly that was something she recognized, even if it wasn´t exactly the man she expected it from. Taking a step aside, she was surprised to see her opponent mirroring her movement and keeping his steel gaze on her without wavering for a tiny second. She didn´t know if she needed to be afraid of him or if he was just overprotective.

" Can I help you with anything?".

The person walked closer to her and the shadows casting over his face made it apparent that he was just trying to protect his parents. He just wanted to make sure that nothing and no one was threatening his existence at this point. " No, I was just close by and wanted to make sure that Michael and Maria are well".

Mike wasn´t so convinced about her honesty and he didn´t want to take any chances right now. His parents were sitting on a house of cards and every wrong move could let everything fall into itself, so he was just a little paranoid about anyone sneaking in front of their bedroom, especially someone that he wasn´t so sure to trust. Serena had told her that Ava was one of the dupes, but she had been one of the good guys, but he wouldn´t trust anyone aside from the people he knew. " Why don´t I believe you?".

" How should I know?", Ava was in awe how much he looked Khivar, but his character was so much like that of the commander that it was scary. The boy had the same deadly twinkle in his eyes like Rath and for a moment she felt a slight panic rising, because she knew how he had reacted when he thought someone was messing with him.

Mike cornered the smaller girl, getting into her face and liking the fact that she cringed back from him. He must have enough of the great commander in him to scare her and he was glad that he was his son and they were on the same side. " You better not cross me or my parents or I will skin you alive".

Ava swallowed visibly and her mouth was suddenly bone dry, making it hard for her to breath. She remembered the many encounters she had with Rath when they had lived in the sewer and he had a bad day, taking out his dark moods on her. He hadn´t been a pleasant company and that put it mildly. " I´m not planning to do that, I would never do something that would endanger Maria. She´s Liz friend and with that she´s mine as well".

" How do you know Aunt Liz?".

Ava relaxed a little at the way he was giving her space again, seemingly stunned about her revelation. Feeling her heart beating at a normal rate again, she noticed how small she had made herself to him. " She helped me when I escaped Rath and Lonnie, let me sleep on the couch in the backroom of the Crash Down".

Mike recalled being told something like that, but he had been too bored to really listen to everything Serena had said. Stepping completely back from her, he felt slightly bad for intimidating her like that. He wasn´t usually someone threatening people so easily, but when it came to his parents he was rather safe than sorry. " Right, I think I knew that, my bad".

" I understand, if I would have parents I would do everything to protect them, too", Ava couldn´t really blame him for overreacting, she had been the same with Zan. Well at least until to the day when she forgot to keep her guard with Rath and Lonnie and they had killed her lover.

Mike saw the still present sadness lingering in her eyes and he thought about the conversation he had with his mother about the years where Michael had been alive. She had told him the story about the dupes and how Ava helped them saving Max from the two retards from New York. " Yeah".

Ava felt slightly uncomfortable with him, because she didn´t know what to say to him. They didn´t know each other and it was more than apprarent that he wasn´t exactly thrilled to change the fact. It was probably the things he had learned about them from their past life´s. " Would you do me a favor? Tell your parents that they should be careful what they say here, the walls have ears and I don´t want them to get in trouble because the wrong people find something out that they shouldn´t".

" I will do that. And you could do me a favor and not tell anyone what you probably heard from my parents", or they would be hell to pay. Ava seemed to be a nice person, someone he could easily see with his family, but there was still something that was keeping him back from trusting her fully.

Ava smiled at him, wondering why he hadn´t killed her first chance he got. It was probably the part of Maria in him that had held him back from hurting her or this version of Rath had more heart than the version she had lived with in the sewers or it could be the mix between them both. Either way she was glad that there would be at least one happy end this time. " I promise to keep my mouth shut"

As soon as the sentence was out footsteps were heard coming their way and both instantly tensed at the intrusion, fearing that it could be someone getting them in trouble by listening to their conversation. " That would be a first, you keeping your mouth shut".

" Well there is always a first time for everything", Ava hoped that Khivar wasn´t noticing her nervous state or her heart beating more than it should. From all people they could have been discovered it had to be the one they were keeping secrets from.

Mike tried to tone his panic down in case the other man could pick up their mood. He didn´t want the guy to have something against his parents, not as long as they needed to keep him in the dark about their plan and as long as the world was still in danger of getting destroyed. So in order to appear as cool as his father was doing it, he acted like he didn´t have anything to hide. " What are you doing here this late? Shouldn´t you plan world domination?".

Khivar wished he could finally put the boy out of his way and get him out of the picture. It was worse enough to be burdened with Nicholas and his stupidity, he didn´t need another moron in his ranks, especially one that wasn´t exactly useful for him, of course aside from keeping his mother in check. " This is my place, I can be wherever I wanna be, contrary to you both. So my question is, what are you doing here?".

" We wanted to check on my Mom", Mike answered calmly and controlled, stifling his urge to avoid eye contact, but he knew that would be like a sure sign that he was lying and he didn´t want anything drawing unnecessary attention towards him or his parents at this point of their plan.

Khivar let his gaze wander from him to Ava, waiting for some small signal to tell him that they both were trying to hide something huge from him. He knew that they weren´t really standing in front of the door to check up on Maria, there was another reason and he wanted to find it out. " And why are you out here instead of inside?".

Mike got slowly irritated with the guy, wondering how his mother had managed to live so long with him without killing his ugly ass. " We wanted to make sure that it´s safe to go inside first. I don´t want to wake up my Mom and anger my Dad in the process".

" That´s so sweet how quickly you adapted to the situation of knowing your real father. It must be a relief for you that it´s not me".

For once Mike had to agree with the bastard, it had been like a huge boulder had fallen off of his shoulders. At least he knew now that he had been conceived out of love and not just to keep his mother in line. " You´re taking the words right out of my mouth".

Khivar smiled before his hand shot out and grasped the young boy's neck to pull him closer to him. Just a moment he was thinking about using his powers to end the guys life once and for all, but he swore that he wouldn´t kill him. Besides he still needed him for his plan, so he actually stuck to his word until everything was over and he could rage himself out. " Someday your big mouth will get you in trouble and I hope I will be there to witness the moment when you get your ass kicked".

" And if you don´t keep your hands away from my son, you will never be able to witness anything anymore".

Khivar released the boy and turned his attention to his brother, who was glowering darkly at him. With his slightly towering height Rath was pretty intimidating with his massive body standing in front of him like a wall. He knew that it wasn´t so healthy to mess with the other man, but he wasn´t exactly defenseless himself. " I was just warning the young one, no need to get overprotective Commander".

Michael dragged his son inside the bedroom where his mother was sleeping peacefully and faced his sibling with the same disdain he would look down at a cockroach. He trusted the guy as far as he could see him and that wasn´t very far. " Keep your hands away from my family".

" Or you´ll do what?", Khivar was just waiting for a reason to show his little brother what he was capable of. He had been merciful on him in their past life when he hadn´t killed him for stealing his wife, but this time he wouldn´t be so gracious again.

Michael used his taller height to his advantage and crowded the other man, pushing him into the wall behind them. He had been in agreement not to reveal how powerful he really was to anyone aside from the people he trusted, but he couldn´t keep himself from giving Khivar a hint that it wouldn´t be healthy for him to piss him off. " You don´t want to find that out, believe me".

Khivar noticed the fire in his brother´s eyes and for once he saw the most feared commander on their planet staring back at him, the man Rath had been before he got himself killed for a girl that had been obviously not worth it. " Are you sure about that? I can take a lot".

" But not this, I promise".

Ava stepped back from both men, feeling the rising tension in the room and she was really scared about Rath´s dupe, who seemingly has finally found the center of his powers and how he could switch it on. She didn´t want to be present when the alpha males would clash together and destroy everything in their sight.

Khivar didn´t even register the hurrying run from the girl, too busy with glaring down his brother to notice anything around him. He wondered who would walk away from a fight between them and how Maria would react to that. With disgust he imagined it and he was sure that she would probably mourn her mate for a long, long time, contrary to the way she would mourn if something should happen to him. " You want to elaborate on that or are you just all talk and no action?".

" As much as I would love to show you what I´m capable of, I have somewhere to be. My wife and son are waiting for me".

Khivar raised an unbelieving eyebrow at the other man, knowing that it was just an excuse. But a small part of him felt the impact of the words and the statement behind it. He didn´t have anything aside from his soldiers who were just working for him out of fear rather than loyalty. " Then don´t let me keep you".

Michael grinned at his brother with satisfaction, having seen the small flash of pain in his eyes and it was such a nice feeling to have something someone else wanted as well. He would do everything in his power to get Maria out of the scumbags clutches and if he had to sacrifice himself in the process. " See you, not so soon I hope", with that he disappeared behind the bedroom door.

" I swear, as soon as the other royals are gone and the Granilith belongs to me, you´ll be as dead as Rath", Khivar whispered after he was alone again.

**Next day**

Maria felt well rested after she had slept half a day. The only reason she was up was her demanding stomach, grumbling angrily at her for neglecting him for so long. Michael had instantly promised to get her something, but she didn´t want to be treated like an invalid just for being pregnant. Besides she needed to stretch her legs, she felt like she had rested in the same position for far too long and her limbs felt stiff. Rubbing her arms to get a little warmer, she wondered why she was freezing so much while she was sweating like a snowman in June. The pregnancy was probably hitting her harder now that she was aware of her condition or it was just normal symptoms, which came much much later into the game. No matter what, she didn´t like that her body was reacting so strangely to everything. Although she felt well, there was something different, like her inside was changing, which was not so unusual considering the small person growing and needing a lot of space. But it didn´t feel normal and she was scared that Khivar was behind it.

" You look much better today".

Maria startled out of her thoughts when she heard the voice and she was surprised to have not realized his presence sooner. She was usually not so unobservant, especially since she had be on guard all the time to not reveal their real plan. " Yeah, the sleeping helped a lot".

Khivar was relieved to know that, he didn´t want her in any pain or uncomfortable. Seeing her lips turning a little blue from the cold he wrapped his arm around her to keep her warm. Immediately he remembered the many walks he had taken with his wife and how much he had enjoyed their time together, well at least before he had found out that she was a cheating little bitch. " If I can do anything for you just say a word and I will do it".

" It´s nice, but unnecessary. I´m just having normal symptoms for a pregnant girl, nothing you have to worry about", which was slightly creeping her out. It was really hard to keep up with his mood swings.

Khivar stopped in his tracks and pulled her in front of him to really look at her. The clear green of her eyes was always such a comfort for him, the way her emeralds were sparkling with life and the nice coloring of her cheeks. He would probably never get tired of staring at her. " Don´t underestimate your condition, you´re not carrying some human spawn".

Maria was now really freaked about his behavior and she hoped that somebody would come by and rescue her from this embarrassing situation. It was one thing to act like someone else, but another to feel like she was in the wrong play. Trying to give him a small smile to reassure him that everything was fine, she hoped that he would be buying it, although she didn´t think she was doing any good at all right now. " I don´t underestimate anything. If I´ve got problems I will tell you, I promise. But right now I´m just hungry".

" Then I´ll feed you immediately".

Maria thought about getting an exorcist to put the devil out of the guy, but remembered that he was the devil in the flesh and it wouldn´t help anything. So swallowing her unease she let herself get steered in the direction of the mess hall.

At the same time Mike felt more rested than he could remember ever feeling. For once he didn´t have to on guard all the time and he had been able to sleep without disturbance, he hadn´t known how good that was to just relax and put out his mind for a few hours. Now he was hungry and wanted to fuel his energy level to start their next stage of their plan. Before he however was able to do that, he was grabbed in midstride and pulled in a room.

**A little while later**

Michael opened his eyes and the first thing catching his eye was the empty spot besides him that his mate had vacated not long before. Jumping on his feet in a matter of seconds and shaking off his sleep just as quick, he scanned the room so fast that it would have made a normal person nauseated and realized that Maria was not here or not even near him at all. Concentrating on their connection he tried to pinpoint her location through it and just faintly sensed her energy.

It was strange, because it felt like she was sleeping or at least was on the way there and he was sure if she had been still tired she would have come to their bed immediately. Putting on his shoes he made his way towards the direction he thought that she was, all the while having a weird feeling in his gut. There was something seriously wrong and he was afraid that it was actually true.

Sneaking through the corridor quietly, he tried to keep his other senses on red alert, just in case someone wanted to attack him. Then he heard Khivar talking to someone, no it was actually more like a taunting another person. Getting closer he finally realized it was his son and he instantly abandoned all his instincts to guard his back to run towards the voices.

" What the hell is going on here?".

Khivar stepped back from Mike and glanced at the entrance. He was glad that his brother had been able to come here after all; he had already thought that they would have to start without him. It would have been a shame to let the other man miss all the fun, but he hadn´t wanted to wait any longer, the excitement had been too much for him. " Welcome to my newest toy".

Michael stared horrified at the picture in front of him and he felt his heart almost slamming through his chest in fear. There at the wall was everyone he loved, hanging lifeless in chains and looking rather dead than alive. It was the panic in his son´s eyes that was alerting him about the fact that something bad was going down here and it was up to him to change it. " What is that? What do you wanna do with them?".

" Oh I just want to test how loyal you are", Khivar smiled at his brother, liking the fact that he finally found something he was better in. Walking past his prisoner, he let his regard linger a little longer on Maria, who seemed to be more affected from the substance in her body than the king and his queen. Turning away from the four chained people on the wall, he glanced at Michael again. Lifting a small vial with a clear fluid in it, he was so delighted to be in control again. " This is the antidote to the poison I injected in everyone and it will only be enough to save two people. And now that´s were you´re coming into the play. Who are you giving up and who are you going to save?".

Michael´s jaw almost hit the floor. How could the bastard demand of him to choose about life and death, especially with his family?

TBC


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24 Your poison´s running through my vein**

Khivar was so excited about his newest plan that he almost couldn´t keep himself under control. He would watch in satisfaction how his brother would struggle with his decision to save the two people that had always been in his life or the two people that were always standing behind him in support. His brother and sister or his wife and son? Such a hard choice to make and just so little time to do it. Too bad that Vilandra wasn´t there to witness this spectacle, she would have loved it as well.

" If I would be you, I would find a solution quickly. They don´t have so much time anymore".

Michael glanced from Max and Tess to Maria and Mike. They were all staring at him with the same scared expression, well aside from his mate who didn´t even seem to be in any shape to look afraid anymore. How could he choose between his family and his other family? It was like he had to make a decision between dying by cholera or malaria, both would be hard and painful and no matter which he would take he couldn´t win. " You bastard!".

Khivar was filled with so much joy that he barely could hold his gloating back. He finally saw the old commander peeking out from under the well controlled boy. It was just a matter of time before all hell would break loose and he would take great pleasure out of being the one witnessing it. " What? I thought you were standing on my side, so it´s not such a hard task to choose who is more important to you".

" You know", Michael saw it in his eyes, their plan had majorly backfired on them and they were screwed.

Khivar smiled at his brother, feeling superior and he wanted to freeze the moment so he could bask in the misery of the other man forever. He knew that one day he would get his revenge and he would be the one dishing it out. Now Rath finally knew how it felt to have to choose between loyalty and family. " Wasn´t that hard when you´ve got a special gift".

In that moment a soldier dragged Ava inside, her lifeless body slumping on the ground as soon as the guy was letting her just fall down. It was very apparent that she was dead or at least as good as.

" She had been very useful. Unfortunately she hadn´t been strong enough to endure the whole procedure".

Michael felt disgusted and slightly disturbed about the picture, even though Ava wasn´t someone he had a special relation to. But nobody deserved this fate, especially not her. She hadn´t done anything wrong, just being too trustful into the bad people and she had helped saving Max, so that made her a friend and not a foe in his eyes. " You´re sick, you know that".

Khivar shook his head, wondering why his brother was always so surprised to find out that he was evil. The guy should finally go with the program and realize that he was always one step ahead of him and the others. No one was able to manipulate him in any kind, not even someone as good as the commander. " I wouldn´t waste so much time on me. The clock is ticking and you don´t want anything to happen to your precious family, do you?".

" I will get you for that", Michael promised, ripping the small vial out of the scumbags hand and walking in front of the people that meant most to him. Slowly he glanced at everyone, trying to find a solution to a problem that would make him lose no matter the decision.

Seeing the trust in Max eyes, he knew for sure that his almost brother would understand if he had to die in order to save Maria. Tess seemed very frightened, but it was probably the picture of her dupe lying dead on the ground than the fact that she could be next. His son appeared very concerned about his mother rather than his own life and he was pleading with his father to do something. Maria meanwhile lifted her head and her eyes showed him that she would love him no matter what.

" _Save Max and Tess"._

Michael had almost forgotten about their mental connection and he startled for a moment when he heard her voice so clear in his mind. But he was sure that she was talking crap, because he couldn´t just let her and their son die.

" _How can you say that? I can´t…., you can´t expect me to just sit by and watch you die"._

" _You don´t have to, he didn´t give us anything, just Max and Tess"._

" _Then why are you so weak? I can see that you´re struggling and it tears me up inside"._

" _Your son demands a lot of energy right now and I´m just a little strained from it, I will get better I promise"._

" _I don´t believe you"._

" _But you can. Do you think he will kill me, after all I´m looking like he dead wife? He wouldn´t want to harm me"._

Michael was torn between his instincts, which were telling him that she was lying about her condition, especially with her record track of backing down every time it looked like he had to make a decision and logical part of his still functioning brain that was explaining to him that it was making a lot of sense what she was trying to get across to him.

" _Don´t think too much, Max and Tess don´t have a lot of time. Save them or else you will always blame yourself for not helping them"._

Michael knew that she was right, but he would probably feel worse if he would just let the mother of his child die, just because he couldn´t make a decision. Glancing in her eyes he saw his future in her emerald pools staring back at him. There were more children, a private marriage ceremony and a small house. Then he turned his attention to Max and there was his past, full of insecurities, fights and hurt feelings, but also friendship, love and belonging.

" Tick, tack. You have to make a decision soon or you´ll lose all of them", Khivar was slightly nervous about the delay, he had been so sure about his brother´s reaction that he thought everything would be over by now.

" _If you let them die, I will never speak to you again, do you hear me Michael Guerin!"._

Michael clenched his teeth together to keep the tears he felt threatening to appear in his eyes at bay. Breathing deeply in, he shocked everyone in the room by stepping in front of Max and Tess to give them the antidote.

Khivar was for once in his life more than stunned and it was clearly visible on the expression on his face. His mouth was hanging wide open while his eyes were staring in disbelief at the scene in front of him. He hadn´t expected that, as much as he hated to admit to be wrong, he had to give his brother the credit to have managed to make him speechless. Turning his head, he saw the young boy glaring daggers at his father, obviously very furious at the action and showing it openly.

" Son of a….", Mike couldn´t even finished the sentence, he was so angry that he could spit nails or at least breath fire. The man that was supposed to be his father was dooming him and his mother to death. It wasn´t so much about him, he wasn´t afraid to die, because he didn´t have anything holding him to his mortal life anymore, but his mother didn´t deserve to have her life cut short.

Michael winced when he felt the impact of the words spat from his son and it pained him more than he wanted. Glancing at them he felt his heart break at the hostile look his was receiving from Mike and the weak smile Maria could barely manage. Seeing her condition getting worse every second, he hoped he wouldn´t regret listening to her. Turning his attention to his brother he tried to keep his emotion under wrap. " Was that necessary? Was that some kind of punishment for Emoyra?".

Khivar snapped out of his trance at the name of the only woman he had ever been able to love unconditionally. How dare the guy taking her name in his filthy mouth! " This has nothing to do with her! I just needed to make sure on which side your loyalty lies and it has proven to me that you´re not the man I wanted you to be".

" Then kill me, right here and right now! Just let them all leave and you can do whatever you want with me".

Khivar chuckled amused at the pathetic offer, like he would even consider it for a tiny moment. He had other plans, plans involving everybody in this room, which was the reason that everyone was still alive at this point, even though he was sad that Vilandra wasn´t there to witness the spectacle, she would have probably loved it more than him. " Yeah right, I think I have to decline. Nobody is going anywhere anytime soon".

Michael could have kicked his own ass if it would have been possible for falling into the trap set from his brother. He was usually more paranoid and didn´t trust anyone outside his circle of family and friends, but this time he had forgotten who he was dealing with. " You always knew that I would never be on your side, didn´t you?".

" From the first moment I looked at you", Khivar wasn´t a fool and he had good senses of people around him. His brother was so far from the man he had been on Antar that it seemed like his old self was still on their home planet while this new version was fitting more to this planet.

Michael scratched his right eyebrow, wondering how he would be getting his family out of this situation without anyone getting hurt or killed. Unfortunately he didn´t get a chance to think about something before he was alarmed from the loud voice of his son. " Mom? Mom? MOM!".

Khivar was the first one to realize that Maria was hanging lifeless in her shackles, her head dropped on her chest and her arms slacking. Instantly he went to her and put her out of the bonds holding her prisoner. Putting her careful on the ground, he was frantically searching for a pulse, which he found, even if it was just very weak. " Oh God, baby, don´t do that to me again. Don´t die on me".

Everyone in the room was awestruck at the softly spoken words and the barely concealed panic. They were all pretty much taken aback from the different person that was kneeling besides their unconscious friend and brushing her hair out of her face with such tenderness that it blew their minds.

" Maria! Get away from her!", Michael slumped on the other side of her fallen body and pulled her head off of his brother´s lap and onto his own. Stroking her face, he prayed that he wouldn´t lose her.

Mike struggled at the chains, trying to get his arms free so that he could make sure that his mother was okay, but the only thing he managed was that his bonds tightened on his wrists and bit into his flesh, drawing blood and making him dizzy. And yet it didn´t stop him from continuing fighting, on the contrary it made him use all of his force to break his shackles.

Khivar didn´t like that his plan hadn´t gone like he wanted it, but this was like the tip of the iceberg. Shaking his head, he remembered the same scene just with another surroundings and he had been a lot younger and a lot more naïve, too. Seeing her just so peaceful with her eyes closed it was like déjà vu all over again. " She can´t die. I didn´t give her anything".

" Honey, can you hear me? Please, open your eyes. You can´t just leave me alone on this planet", Michael ignored his brother and focused all of his energy on Maria. She was alive and that was good, but didn´t know what was even wrong with her and if it was something he could help with.

Mike was finally able to break his bonds, even though that meant his wrist were bleeding badly, but he was so worried about his mother that he didn´t even feel anything. Crashing besides his father, he put his still bound hands on either side of his mother´s face. " Mom! You can´t just give up now, I need you", he choked on a sob, seeing her for the second time so still and lifeless lying in front of him and he was afraid that he was doomed to lose her over and over again.

Michael immediately reacted to the anguish of his son with making the boy look at him. Maria wasn´t dead, she was a hell of a woman and nothing would take her away from them, not at this point, besides the girl was too stubborn to just go without a fight first. " She´s still alive and she will be for a long time, do you hear me? She probably just fainted from all the excitement".

" Why did you save them?", Mike demanded accusingly, barely hiding the anger he felt towards his father, a person he had come to love and respect in the short time they had known each other. But this time it wasn´t about him, it was about someone he loved more than anything on this world, namely his mother.

Michael knew that he deserved that, his son didn´t grasp the connection between him and Maria. They both weren´t a normal couple and they never would be, but one thing they had in common with everyone else, they would do everything for their family, no matter the consequences. " Because I knew that Khivar was bluffing, he would never harm her".

Mike couldn´t believe it, his father had acted with just his instinct to guide him. Even though he was all for going with it he couldn´t understand why the man had risked the mother of his child that way just for two people who were in his eyes not worth the effort. He didn´t know Tess, because she had been already dead when he was born, but Max had been one of the most selfish people he had ever met and after he had hurt his mother, not of one of his favorite person to be around. " And if you would have been wrong? What then? Sorry about losing her, but at least those douche bags are alive!".

" You know as well as I do that I would never do anything to hurt your mother, but this once I had to take a leap of faith. They´re my family as well and the only people like me, I can´t lose them".

Mike saw the sincerity in his glance and he felt slightly bad for blowing up at him, but the worry about his mother was making him a little more aggressive than usual. He could relate to this feeling, because it was the same with his Mom, she was the only one and he would sacrifice anyone to protect her. " And I can´t lose her, not again. I was there when she died and I can´t bear to see a repeat of it".

Michael felt the pain from his son hitting him deeply, so much that he thought that it was his own. Looking down at the closed eyes of his lover, he knew that if should something happen to her, he would probably never recover from that and destroy this planet on a furious rampage. " We´re not going to lose her, I promise you that. She´s tougher than we´re all together".

" Damn straight I am. It´s finally time that you admited it", Maria groaned, wondering what she was doing on the ground with Michael and Mike hovering over her. Rubbing her face and wiping some sweat away from her skin, she was pretty confused what had been going on. At first she was hanging on chains, then she had felt like all of her energy was sucked from her and now she was lying on the ground with her boys staring at her like she was a ghost.

Michael smiled at her, glad that she was able to tease him. He wouldn´t admit it, but he had been really scared for a moment when he thought she was dead. That woman would be the death of him someday, hopefully far away in the future. " Welcome back to the living. How do you feel?".

Maria gazed at her son, a little taken aback when she saw the tears in his eyes. Taking his hand she squeezed it to tell him that she was doing fine and he shouldn´t worry. The poor boy was constantly concerned about her and she felt guilty for doing that to him. He was so young and she was ruining his life. " Weak and slightly nauseas, but other than that I´m fine".

" You really scared me Mom", Mike put his head on her chest and started sobbing uncontrollably. That had been too much of a déjà vu and it had hit home more than he wanted. He was still not over her death and he would probably never overcome that, no matter how much time would pass.

Maria was surprised about his emotional outburst and she instantly felt her mother instincts coming to life. Stroking his head, she tried to calm him down by telling him that she would never leave him and that she was made from tougher stuff to die so easily. She promised that she would be crowding him until he would willingly leave just to get rid of her. That earned her a small chuckled from her son and it warmed her heart. She hated to see anyone in pain; it was usually triggering her own tears. Looking up, she met the slightly glistening eyes of her lover. Taking his hand in her own she kissed his knuckles to reassure him the same.

Khivar stared at the scene and he felt rage, unbearable rage. No matter what time, he was always the one destinied to lose his wife to his brother, but like always he had a back up plan. If he couldn´t have Emoyra, no one would have her either. " How touching. Give me a moment to settle my stomach again".

" Shut up, you son of a bitch!", Michael jumped on his feet and stormed towards Khivar. Wrapping his hand around the other man´s throat, he pushed him at the wall behind him and lifted him off the ground. There was something primal and powerful awakening inside him, a feeling that was familiar and yet alien to him, but not very unpleasant or frightening. " I should kill you for endangering her like that".

Khivar appeared very amused, although he was getting choked and his feet were dangling in the air, but all he felt was satisfaction. He had waited so long for this moment, waited a lifetime to be with his real brother again and not with the wishy washy version that had been under the command of King Zan. " Then do it! I won´t fight you".

Michael tightened his hold and he knew that it wouldn´t take a lot to end this life forever. A small moment he enjoyed the feeling of having that power and it felt so right for him, like he was meant to be like this. But then his conscious was interfering with his actions, warning him that he wouldn´t be any different than his brother if he would kill out of joy rather than survival. " You´re not worth it, not yet at least".

" Oh please, you´re just too afraid to let loose. You were born with so much power and you´re wasting it, because you´re scared that you would turn into a monster", Khivar was sure that it wouldn´t take too long anymore until he would be reunited with someone even crueler than him, a man that had been feared on every planet just by mentioning his name.

Maria chose that instant to step besides her mate, feeling the struggle he was in and trying to ease some of his worries. She knew that the words were true and she also knew that Michael had never feared anything more than being out of control or turning into an alien the humans were afraid of. " You´re not him and you won´t be, you´re much stronger".

Michael faltered for a split second, turning his attention to the woman at his side. She had so much faith in him and his abilities, more than he deserved. The last time he had let loose a man had lost his life, even though he had acted on pure instinct to protect his family, but it had taken him a lot of time and a lot of struggle to get over it. He couldn´t risk to let the tiger out of its cage with her so damn close and wondering if he would even realize who is friend and foe. " What if I´m not? I can´t take the risk of hurting anyone else".

" If you don´t do it, we´ll all die. He won´t stop hunting us until we´re all dead and I don´t want to live in fear. We´ve got the chance to stop this right here, right now and I´m ready to risk my life for it".

Khivar used the conversation between the lovers to get out of the chokehold. Punching his brother, who released him immediately, he generated a powerful blast to send the other man towards the other side of the room with enough force to let the wall crumble. Then he turned to the spot where his last two prisoners should have been, just to discover that it was empty. Accusingly he glared at Emoyras retreating form, feeling betrayed from her.

Maria crashed on her knees besides her fallen mate, ignoring her instinct which was telling her to not turn her back on her enemy. But she didn´t care about that bastard, she only cared about the man lying on the ground, blood pooling under him. " Michael! Oh God, are you still alive?".

" No", Michael groaned in agony, feeling bones he hadn´t even known were there. Strangly he was glad that it had hit him and not her, because she would have been dead by now whereas he felt like shit, but he was still alive.

Maria was relieved to hear his voice and she helped him on his back. Seeing the blood covering the upper half of his face she winced, imagining the pain. His nose seemed to be broken, at least according to the way it was bent in a weird angle. She would have loved to make it better, but she was sure that touching it would just make it worse. Brushing his hair away from his face, she felt so helpless. " I´m so sorry, I shouldn´t have distracted you. It´s all my fault".

Michael made a face at her, but cussed like a sailor when the motion hurt like a bitch. How the hell did they always get caught in these situations? It was like yesterday when his big worry was to find a way home or not getting caught from Sheriff Valent and now he was lying here, getting comforted from his human girlfriend and praying that this wasn´t their last hour. " No it´s not, it´s mine, like always".

" Don´t you dare start with that now or I will kick your ass as soon as we get out of here", Maria wished he would stop seeing him in this dark light although he was much better than he was thinking. He just had to start believing in him and he would achieve so much in his life, much more than he could dream about. " You stand up and show that guy what you are capable of, you hear me!".

If the situation wouldn´t be so dire he would have laughed at her. Here they were in the deepest shit ever and she was encouraging him to fight back. She was so cute when she put her mind to something and tried to get it across to him. " Yes ma´am", collecting enough energy to get back on his feet, he pulled her up with him, keeping her away from the madman and hopefully out of the field of the fire.

Maria felt so proud of him when he took a fighting stance, his hand lifted and directed at Khivar, who was smiling at them like he was sure that they were losing. Touching Michael´s back, she felt the tension in his body and she was shocked when she got aroused from it. Shaking her head she tried to get her mind out of her gutter and start focusing on the battle that was way overdue. " Go get him commander", she whispered at him.

" You´re not going to walk out of here, I hope you know that", Khivar may have lost two of the royals, but he would make sure that it wouldn´t stay that way. As soon as those two were out of the picture, he would chase the others until no one aside from him would survive and then he would take over this planet.

Michael wasn´t sure if it was the confidence Maria had in him or the buried knowledge about his time as commander was kicking in, but something inside of him was telling that it was the other way around. Smiling in delight, he prepared himself for a fight that no one would ever forget. " Bring it on, wannabe King".

Maria barely managed to get out of the way before blasts were traded between both brothers. She was just able to duck out of the path of an incoming streak intenting on hitting her and made a hasty retreat to the other side of the room, far away from the flight path of the dangerous looking light. For once she would stay out of the fight, knowing that it would help Michael more when she would keep in the background, but it was hard for her to repress her instinct to protect him.

" And who´s winning?".

Maria stifled the scream she wanted to emit at the voice so close to her. Holding a hand over her rapidedly beating heart, she slapped her son´s shoulder in order to release her fear. The boy had almost made her wet her pants by just appearing besides her and not giving her some kind of signal that he was there. " Don´t scare me like that again!", as soon as the first shock was ebbing away she glared at Mike. " What are you doing here? Didn´t I tell you to stay with the others?".

Mike rolled his eyes. Like he would do that and wonder the whole time if his parents would be alright or not. His place was with his family and there wasn´t anything his mother could do to persued him otherwise. " I can´t. I have to be here with you".

" You´re just like your father", Maria grumbled defeated, knowing that she would be fighting a lost battle if she would try to send him back. Her son was just as stubborn as Michael.

Mike grinned cockily, taking the compliment and feeling very smug about it. In his youth he had never been proud when someone told him the same, but after knowing who his father really was, he didn´t think it was so bad anymore. He just hoped that he had more time in this timeline to get to know him better and that his family would be growing with the years. " And damn proud of it".

Maria shook her head at the boy before she turned back to the fight, just in time to see Michael crashing on his knees and looking rather wasted from all the use of energy while Khivar was still standing and staring amusingly at his brother. She saw the moment Khivar prepared himself for a powerful blast and reacted without thinking, not even Mike had time to keep her from running towards her lover.

" MOM NO!".

Maria faintly heard the cry, all her senses focused on Michael. The instant their eyes met, she felt something hot and hard hitting her backside, flinging her against something concrete. For a second she was afraid, fearing the pain that would surely follow. But it didn´t last long before everything around her became dark.

Michael watched her crashing on the floor, her backside bloody and burned from the blast, not moving just like she was dead. In that moment he felt his human side decease, making room for his alien nature. Turning his burning gaze towards the source of his anger, he got up on his feet and just like that he slipped off his human façade. Something primal and deadly was rearing its head and he wasn´t afraid to unleash it. There wasn´t anything holding him back anymore and now it was time to play.

" Welcome back, Brother".

TBC


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25 **** the end is nigh**

Kivar was ecstatic about the change, finally the long wait had ended and the last chapter of their battle was beginning. Meeting the glance from his brother dead on, he could practically see the fire in the other man´s eyes, the fury openly showing through the black irises and the spiked up energy surrounding them. This was it now; the showdown he had expected for such a long time, had anticipated with so much hope that he was slightly disappointed that the moment was there.

The only downside from all this was that he didn´t had anyone he could share it with. Vilandra had been killed, Emoyra was also dead, Rath and Nicholas had bit the dust as well and Maria was closer to the dead than to the living. But he was used to be alone; it was better that way, no one that could interfere in his business, no one that could annoy him and no on that could become his weak spot.

" You just made your last mistake", Michael smiled, but it had nothing comforting, it was the smile of a serial killer about to slaughter his latest victim, slow and extremely painful. He wasn´t afraid of this side of him anymore, no on the contrary he relished in the feeling of the power building inside him.

Kivar prepared himself for the hardest battle he would ever fight in this life, because his brother wasn´t some weak little soldier, he was the most deadly creature after him and that meant a lot. " I don´t think so. You just made your last mistake".

Mike, after checking on his mother, stepped besides his father and his eyes had the same dangerous glint like the commander. He was like the junior clone of Rath from Antar, just a little bit more unskilled, which didn´t necessarily mean he wasn´t a threat as well. " You will die, I swear on everything that´s holy. You will go down and if I have to follow you into hell to make sure that you stay dead".

" That´s cute, little one wants to help his Daddy".

Mike had his hands tightly pressed into fists, just waiting for the best opportunity to strike back at the bastard. He already felt the heat pooling in his arms, anticipating letting loose and causing a little mayhem. He was dying to get his revenge for his mother, for both of them, the future and the present version. Biting his tongue to keep himself from snapping something nasty in the scumbag's direction, he tasted blood in his mouth and it just made him more restless. He felt like a shark that smelled the delicious scent of a hurt animal and was ready to attack it.

Michael was impressed about the patience his son was showing, having not realized how mature and powerful he was, but he was proud to be standing side by side with him, sharing something so binding with each other. " Say goodbye, **brother, **because this time I´m the one walking away from here".

" We´ll see", Kivar sneered, seemingly very unaffected from the statement. He was nearly undestructable, which made him pretty confident that he would win this game again, just like the last time.

Michael gave his son a sideway glance, telling him with his eyes that it would getting ugly soon. Noticing a faint nod from Mike, he pushed his hands out and shot a really strong blast, trying to catch his opponent unprepared. Unfortunately from him, Kivar was fast in his reaction and so he stepped aside and shot a blast in return.

This time with much more success and Mike was propelled in the air, landing with a loud noise at the wall behind him and bouncing on it before crashing forcefully on the ground. Groaning he felt like all of his bones were smashed or at least broken beyond repair. Air had escaped his lungs with a force that had made him breathless. Looking up he saw his father taking revenge for the attack. Seeing them both so intent and concentrated fighting with each other, he realized that he was better off by just watching the whole spectacle. Crawling towards his mother, he cradled her beaten boy in his arms, hoping that she was just sleeping and not dead already. He had been too afraid to check it earlier, fearing that he wouldn´t find any pulse.

Meanwhile Michael pushed blast after blast with such a force out of his hands that even Kivar seemed to struggle with the onslaught. But naturally he wouldn´t be the most feared man in this universe if he wouldn´t have a few tricks up his sleeve and so he "accidently" missed his target.

" You´re getting sloppy".

Kivar smiled diabolically at his brother and his amusement increased the moment he heard the yelp from junior, who unfortunately had been in the way of his blast. Seeing the blood oozing from a wound from the boy´s shoulder he waited until Michael was distracted with the well being of his son to strike again.

To his disappointment his brother was prepared for that trick and before Kivar knew what was happening, both men collided with such a brunt that they both crashed through the walls on the other side of the room and landed hard on the ground in the passage outside. Any human being would have been dead or at least hurt badly, but the two fighting aliens had aside from a few scratches not an injury. On the contrary they were so good in shape that they started beating on each other instantly.

The sound of flesh pounding on flesh could be heard through the whole cave. A few of Kivar´s army left their guarding spots to look after the noise. As soon as they saw their leader in a heated fist fight with the commander, they tried to interfere to help their king, which was just stopped from the sound of an explosion at the entrance. Instantly they all stormed towards the sound.

Mike, having heard the explosion as well, lifted his mother from the ground, even though his shoulder was hurting like a bitch and carried her out of the hole his father and Kivar had made. For a moment he glanced at both men rolling on the floor, each one trying to get the upper hand in the battle. He wished he could help, but his first priority was his mother and he wanted to make sure that she was out of harms way before he would jump into the action himself. Sending a prayer to the heaven to protect his Dad, he hauled his Mom across the uneven ground and put her in the first room he could find. Dropping her carefully on the mattress lying on the floor, he checked that she was comfortable before leaving. Now he could finally concentrate on entering the fray without worrying about his mother being in danger.

Unfortunately he didn´t come far before some blasts shot over his head and he saw a few of Kivars men running in his direction. For a tiny second he was confused what was going on and why they looked so scared. They weren´t exactly cowards and it had to take a lot to make them take off in fright. Then he recognized what had them running like the devil was behind them and he had to keep his grin from his face. A huge fire wall was chasing them, not for very long, because they weren´t fast enough and before they realized what was going on they were just flakes flying around in the air.

" One thing is for sure, you´re still the whiz when it comes to fire, Aunt Tess".

Tess smiled at the way he was calling her Aunt, although they weren´t really related to each other, but she liked it. It gave her a feeling of family and that she got accepted into it. That was the reason why she went through all this trouble of going into the lions den and facing her worst nightmare, to protect her family. " What can I say, either you´ve got or you don´t".

Max shook his head at the casuelness they both talked to each other, just like they were at home discussing the plans for the evening. But they weren´t there, they were in their enemies lair and needed to finish their battle for once and for all. This was no time for conversation, they had to act fast. " Where´s Michael?".

" He´s fighting Kivar, but I won´t suggest interfering in it. My Dads not exactly himself at the moment", Mike was more concerned about anyone stepping in between them than his father´s life, because no matter what that man would come out of this alive. There was no question about it, it was finally time for Kivar to say his prayer.

Tess was in the process to ask about Maria, when they heard footsteps, more than before coming towards them. But unlike the last time, neither Max nor Tess made any move to defend themselves, just glanced behind them and waited.

A few seconds later Mike knew why and he was so glad to see them all, even the faces that were still new for him. A feeling of things changing was engulfing him and for the first time he was sure that coming back had been the right choice. Smiling at his grandparents, he was relieved to know that they were still alive. " What are you all doing here? It´s not safe".

" Yeah, like I would sit at home while my daughter is in danger", Amy snorted so unlike her that everyone was chuckling at her. She was a hell of a woman and anyone daring to hurt her child would pay the consequences. Swinging her aluminium bat around, she just waited for somebody to cross her path.

Jim and Tony both stared at the delicate looking female in their midst and they had the same adoring glance in their eyes. It was very apparent that they loved her, at least in different ways. But one thing was sure; they all would die for Maria, which was very much obvious at the drawn weapons in their hands and the expressions of determination on their faces.

Behind the men, a little hidden because of the height from them was Isabel and Liz. The two girls looked just as ready to raise a little hell with the baseball bats in their hands, just waiting for some action. Even Alex and Kyle armed with guns appeared like they anticipated a fight and were excited about it.

" Let´s bring it on".

Mike couldn´t keep his mirth at bay at the spoken words from Kyle. It would be getting really great to get to know him and the others under different cirumstances, not with everyone at war or dead. " We should make sure that all of Kivar´s guards are taken care of", turning to the older woman in front of him he was sure that he wasn´t just asking this favor for his Mother, he was just trying to tactfully keep her out of the fire. " Grandma, can you stay with Mom. I would feel better if someone would stay with her".

Amy understood his need to keep everyone safe and in another situation she would have slapped him for trying to cuddle her, but in that instant she didn´t complain. She would feel better to be with her daughter as well. " Tony and I are keeping an eye on her"

" Thank you. The rest of you is coming with me", Mike pointed at the door where his mother was in to his grandparents before he and the others stormed off with their hands or weapons ready in their hands.

In the meantime Kivar had managed to get the upper hand in the fight and had Michael pushed at the wall behind him with his hands tightly around the other man´s throat. He was slightly disappointed about the missing fire, the short time it had taken to weaken his brother. He had expected more. " What´s wrong? Are you done already?".

Michael clawed at the fingers squeezing the air out of him and trying to loosen the hold on him. He couldn´t just let the bastard win, not with his family still in the line of danger and the world in the risk of getting invaded from evil creatures from out of space. " You wish", he croaked.

" Just give into it. What have you got to lose? Your mate is dead and so is your son by now. And your other family will be dead as soon as I´m finished with you. Why waste so much time with prolonging the unavoidable?"

Michael didn´t believe for one second that Maria was dead; he still felt her presence lingering inside of him, even if it was just a weak echo of it. She was alive, still holding onto their connection. But he knew that it was just a matter of time before she would slip and fall in the never ending darkness. He had to win this fight to save her.

Kivar shook his head at the stubbornness of the guy, he didn´t know the word defeat. Some things never changed, which meant he had to double his effort. Suddenly he was hit from something hard and he crashed on the floor. Looking up he was shocked to see the other Vilandra glaring at him. " You have always been kinda rough, but this is a new one even for you".

" You won´t ever touch my family again", Isabel snarled angrily at the scum at her feet. She was so sick of the guilt inside of her for helping the bastard the last time. But she hoped that defeating him would finally set her free from her past.

Mike was impressed about the girl, she was tougher than she looked, just like his mother. Helping his father back on his feet, he was glad when he noticed that aside from some red fingerprints on the skin there wasn´t anything damaged on his Dad. " Are you okay?".

Michael didn´t trust his eyes when he realized that everyone was here with him. Well not everyone, a few were missing. " Where´s your mother?".

" She´s safe. Grandma and Tony are protecting her", Mike didn´t mention that her life was slowly slipping away from her and he felt strange. It was like a tingling in the back of his mind and he was afraid that it meant he had failed.

Michael glanced at the people standing around him, ready to jump into the fray for him. But he wouldn´t let them, this was his fight and he didn´t want anyone interfering in it. He had lost so much the last time, he didn´t want to see a repeat of that happening again. There would be no blood on his hands, well at least not that of his family but rather that of his enemy. " Take the others and get out of here".

Mike instantly shook his head vehemently, not leaving this place without both of his parents. He had lost them both in that other time line, he wouldn´t sit back and wait to lose them again, not as long as he was able to change it. " Forget it, I´m staying with you".

" I´m not arguing with you. Get out of here and keep an eye on your mother", Michael would have been so proud of his son for standing up to him, but this wasn´t about childish rules or anything, this was real and people would get hurt or die and he couldn´t let that happen.

Mike glared at his father, prepared to get into a heated conversation with that man for treating him like a child, but suddenly his right arm felt oddly numb. Gazing down at it, he was shocked to see that his arm was dissolving and it was slowly taking over the rest of his body. Panicked and really scared he stared at his father. " Dad!".

Michael was just as stunned as his son at the rapidedly progress of the disappearing of the body and he felt helpless. Watching his child just vanishing front his eyes was torture and he was unable to do anything against it. Seconds later everything was over and Mike was gone, just like that and Michael knew the reason why. It meant that Maria was dead. Crashing on his knees he screamed so loud that the walls and the ground was shaking like an earthquake. He put all his pain and anger in this single cry that the others around him almost got knocked over from the intensity of the sorrow.

" Told you that it was just a matter of time before you would lose everything", Kivar grinned, enjoying the misery from his brother and almost getting high from it.

Isabel immediately walked towards Michael to comfort him, but was stopped when he looked up at her with black, dead eyes. Stumbling back from the strange person possessing her almost brother, she felt all of his pain pouring out and crashing over her like waves. The message in it was very clear and she knew that this was something he had to do alone, for his family and for them. Nodding at him, she turned to the others. " I think we´re not needed here".

Max was going against his instincts to stay here and support his brother, but he was sure that Michael wouldn´t take it too lightly. This war just got personal and they would just be a disturbance. Ushing everyone out, he gave his friend a lingering look that told him everything he wasn´t able to say to him before following the others out.

They barely made it out of the passageway when all hell broke loose behind them. The sound of explosion rocked the earth and they hurried to get to the room where Maria was with Amy and Tony. They wanted to get out of here before the whole cave would collapse on them.

" I can´t believe she´s dead. She can´t be dead", Liz seemed to just come to the realization that her best friend was gone and she started to cry, heavy sobs wracking her body and fat tear drops falling from her face. She went instantly into Max embrace and clung to him like he was her life vest.

Alex and Kyle were a little quieter in their mourning, but the intensity was the same. Tess and Isabel fell in their arms and all four of them cried for their lost friend. Just the only person not grieving was Max. He didn´t believe it, not as long as he had no proof that Maria was really dead. " We don´t know if she´s dead".

Jim glanced at the door where the other three people from their troop were behind and he feared for the worse. If the disappearance of Mike was any indication than it looked really bad and he didn´t want to think that one of his kids was gone, especially one that was like a daughter to him. " One way to find out".

Everyone was afraid what would expect them in that room and hesitantly they opened the door. The first thing that reached them was Amy crying and Tony trying to comfort her. Preparing for finding their friend dead, they all stepped inside and were more than just stunned at the picture that was awaiting them.

" Uh, where´s Maria?", Jim wasn´t exactly thrilled to see his girlfriend in the arms of her ex husband and the fact that he looked quite too comfortable with it. But it was even stranger that just two people were in this room where three should have been.

Amy immediately jumped to her feet and threw her arms around him. There was so much she didn´t understand and so much that was scaring her with knowing Aliens, but this was the worst of all. She had been able to accept that her grandson came back from the future and she hadn´t thrown a fit when she found out that her daughter was pregnant, but not this. " She just disappeared. We couldn´t do anything, she just vanished in front of our eyes. Oh my God Jim, where´s my daughter?".

Max felt Liz´s hand squeezing his hard and he knew that there wasn´t anything they could do, especially not in this situation. Feeling the walls and the ground shaking with the blast and power from the men fighting, he decided for once to step up to his role and be the leader. " We have to get out of here. I don´t know how long this mine will hold up and I don´t want to be there when this joint caves in".

" I´m not going without my child!", Amy glared at the boy, her sorrow instantly forgotten. She wouldn´t move a muscle as long as Maria was gone and she didn´t know where she was or if she was well.

Tony understood the need for answers, but he was also aware that they didn´t have a lot of time before they would get crushed from the walls around them. He wanted to know where his daughter was as everyone else, even more so, but he had to think rationally as well. It wouldn´t help Maria if they were all dead. " Listen angelo, he´s right. If our daughter is out there she would want us to be smart and not get killed".

Amy glanced at the people around her and she saw they were just waiting for her to move, she even knew that they were right, but her child, her one and only was probably somewhere alone and scared, wondering where her mother was. She couldn´t just go without knowing what happened to her daughter. " I can´t. I have to find her. Go without me".

" I hate to do that, but you´re not leaving me any choice", Isabel put her hand on the older woman´s head and put her to sleep. She would deal with the wrath of Amy when they were far away from the danger.

Jim immediately caught her and threw her over his shoulder. Silently they all piled out of the room and made their trek in the direction of the exit or what they hoped was a way out of this mine. Max produced a glowing ball to light their path and after marching for a while in the endless seeming corridor they finally came to something that appeared like an opening. Tess didn´t hesitate and started running towards it, seeing the closer she got that it was daylight shinging through the beginning of the mine. The others followed her and all relaxed as soon as they breathed in the fresh air and felt the warm breeze touching their skin, although the light slightly hurt their eyes.

Tony glanced at the people standing guard at the cars parked in the middle of the desert and he went to them, warning them that they would maybe have to expect some crazy evil alien to take over the planet and they had to put him out of the way.

" I´ll hope that Michael makes it out alive", Isabel bit on her nail, her stomach in knots and her mind racing with worry. Even though she had seen in his eyes that he didn´t intent on surviving this fight, she wished that he would win and survive. She needed her almost brother and it would be weird without him.

Max put a hand on his sister´s shoulder. He was sure that Michael didn´t want to live with Maria and his son gone. As much as it pained him, he didn´t expect to ever see their friend again, at least not alive. " I hope so, too".

Kyle pulled Tess in his arms and stared at the mine, expecting Michael or Maria or both to walk out of it and saying something snappish. He didn´t want to believe that after all the danger and all the drama everything would end this way. The universe shouldn´t work that way, the good guys should always win and the bad guys blasted to hell. " What now?".

" We wait".

Suddenly a loud booming noise was rocking the ground under their feet and the closest people to the explosion fell down. Then they all watched the mine collapsing, burying everything under a pile of soil, stone and dirt.

TBC


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26 Love you til the end**

Isabel was the first to react. She jumped to her feet and was in the process to storm towards the ruins when Max put his arms around her middle to keep her from hurting herself. There wasn´t anything they could do at this point, the damage was done and anyone still inside the mine was already dead. No one would have been able to survive the weight of a few thousands tons of soil, much less the explosion that had occurred before.

" Let me go, we have to help him. We have to drag him out of there, I don´t want him to be alone".

Liz and Tess started to cry again at the pleading from the girl that was known for her composure. They didn´t had the connection with Michael like the others, but it was enough to mourn his dead, to be sad about his loss. For Liz it was even worse, because her best friend was gone as well.

Max shed a few tears himself for his brother and he didn´t want to believe that everything they had fought for was in vain. Tigthening the grip on his sister, he wanted to prevent from losing anyone else. There could be still some gas that could shot the whole place up and he was rather safe right now. " Stop it Iz, we can´t help him anymore. He´s gone".

" I know, but I can´t bear the thought that he´s lying under all this dirt, alone", Isabel knew that she was making no sense, but a part of her wanted to see him for a last time and make sure that he was really dead.

Jim rubbed his eyes, trying desperatedly to hide the fact that he was crying. His kids needed him to be strong for them. But it was hard to keep his sorrow down when he knew that two of his charges were buried under all that stuff, dead or still fighting for their lifes while they were safe. " We come back tomorrow and look for him. We have to make sure that it´s safe for us to dig around before we do anything. Besides we need tools for all that clutter".

Kyle, who was holding his girlfriend in his arms and was stroking her back, nodded in agreement. He didn´t want to be there any longer and stare at the remains that had killed two of their friends. And he was so damn tired, tired of this drama and tired of being miserable. They would need their strength to bury the dead. " Then let´s go".

" What about Kivar? What if he has survived?"

Max shook his head, being sure that Michael had made sure that their enemy wouldn´t make it out of this alive as well. To the end, he would want the others to be safe from that monster, to be free of any worries. " I don´t think he´s alive anymore".

Together the group made their way to the awaiting cars. Tony and his goons were silently staring at the mess that had been a mine at some point. Dropping their heads, they clasped their hands and started saying a small prayer for those lost. Tony even shed a few tears for his daughter, who had been too brave for her own good. He would always keep her memory for standing up for her beliefs alive.

Everyone glanced over their shoulder for the last time before they went inside the vehicles, just wanting this day to end. The drive into town and to the Crash Down was pretty quiet, aside from the hiccups from the girls and the cooing from their boyfriends. Amy was thankfully still out of it or she would have thrown a fit for just leaving.

Piling into the restaurant, which was still closed and had still the yellow crime scene tape around the entrance, they watched the evidence that the last days had really happened. Glass splinter were still covering the floor, the window was still broken and the tables were damaged beyond repair. Finding a relative unharmed booth, the teenager squeezed into it. Jim, Tony and Amy had gone straight home to make a few arrangements.

" Someone want a shake? I think the machine is still running".

Everyone gazed at Liz like she had grown another head. But no one said anything about that, just shook their heads. The last thing they could think about was food or drinking. However Liz made her way behind the counter, feeling the need for something chocolaty with a lot of calories. Keeping busy with handling the machine, she could escape for a moment the truth that her best friend would never come through those doors and talk her ear off with something that Michael had done wrong. Again. Losing herself in a memory that had been before the aliens had invaded their lives; she wondered where they would be now if the shooting had never happened. Would she still be with Kyle? Would Maria finally have managed to ask Doug Sohn out?

Alex left the others at the booth and sat at the counter, like he had so many times to spent time with his two favourite girls. Now that was over, because there was just one girl and the Crash Down would probably be closed for a long time. " I can´t believe it. I always thought the first to die would be me".

" Do you think Maria could be still alive? I mean I just thought about it, Maria disappeared. Why would she do that? If she would have died then we would have seen her body. But she just vanished. Don´t you think it´s a little strange".

Alex was sure that there was some logical behind the words, but he was also sure that Liz didn´t want to believe that Maria was dead. What did they knew about human-alien pregnancies? This could be some saving mechanism to protect the mother from getting tested on or something. " Liz, I know that you want to deny what happened, but we have to accept the fact that Michael and Maria didn´t make it out of the mine".

Liz couldn´t accept that, not as long as she had no the proof in the form of the dead body. But until then she would still hope for a better outcome. It couldn´t just be the end of the book, the stories didn´t work that way, there´s always a happy ending. " Listen to me, there´s something weird at the picture".

" Stop it, okay. Deal with the pain like the rest of us", Alex didn´t want to admit that some part of him wanted to believe that so much, but he was afraid that the blow would be worse when they would find the corpse of Maria lying in the ruins. He wouldn´t be able to bear the pain of losing her twice.

Suddenly Liz put her hands in front of her face and started crying hysterical, her whole body shaking with the sobs. Alex was instantly at her side and threw his arms around her, sharing the pain with her. They both had lost so much in the last days and it was even worse for Liz, because she had lost her father as well, which she didn´t know yet. That would probably pull the carpet right under her feet again.

Isabel watched them and she realized that it was the first time she saw both of them so devastated. Averting her eyes from the scene, she gazed at her brother who was playing with the saltshaker. His glance was blank, like he wasn´t really with them at the moment, which was probably true. He and Michael had fought a lot in the past and they hadn´t been able to find a compromise in their battles, but that hadn´t meant that they hadn´t loved each other.

" I never listened to him. He had always been playing his role as a protector, getting to know the danger lurking in the dark while I tried to close my eyes from it. I never wanted to find out what I am, afraid that I wouldn´t like it. And now he died and I never got the chance to tell him how sorry I am, how much I appreciate his friendship and how I loved him", Max didn´t have to look up to know that his sister was giving him her worried glance.

Isabel put her hand on his, needing the contact just as much as her. They just had each other right now and of course Tess, although she was always with the Valentis and not so much with them. " He knew all that. Why do you think he did what he did?".

Max couldn´t keep it all inside anymore and he dropped his head on the table top, deep sobs breaking out of him, he wasn´t just crying for Michael, but for Maria as well, even though she had made him question her loyalty sometimes. But she had come through in the end and saved their lifes. He felt bad for the things he had accused her off, the harsh words he had thrown at her. He had never been a good friend and even a worse leader. So many mistakes he did and Michael had still stood behind him, still believed in him and he just blew it.

Kyle swallowed the big lump in his throat, sick of all the crying already. He just wanted to wake up to realize that it was a nightmare, a bad dream that was forgotten as soon as he was awake. Tightening his arm around his girlfriend´s shoulder, he wondered how long it would take before everything would be normal, well normal for them, again. " I think we should take a drink for the two of them. Something that lets them remember that we appreciate what they did for us".

" That´s a good idea, but we do it with Shakes", Tess was immediately in agreement and so she went behind the counter, where Liz and Alex were still standing with their arms around each other. Their sorrow was slowly dwindling down and the tears were getting less and less. Waving her hands over the machine, she miracly conjured six glasses of choco Milkshakes.

Everyone sat around the booth with their drinks held in front of them and toasted to the lost lifes of their best friends. Then they started telling the funniest stories about the two of them. Liz and Alex remembered their small trip to the desert where they had found a thing that had looked like some alien artifact, but was a broken walkie talkie piece in reality. Maria had been really happy about her discovery and saw herself already tingling through talk shows, giving interviews and posing for magazines. Liz hadn´t wanted it, but she had to burst the bubble from her friend and explained to her that it was nothing out of this world; it was just a piece of junk.

Alex managed a small smile at that, knowing that Maria had always been such an impulsive person and she was really passionate about things. " She had been so disappointed that we needed ice cream and cookies to brighten her up again".

" Which ended with us spending the whole day in bed, because the ice cream and cookies were coming out of every opening", Liz shuddered at the memory. It wasn´t something she thought back with a good feeling. Ice cream was pretty digusting if it came up again and it burned in your nose.

Max could picture young Maria like that. She had eaten a lot of ice cream with him during the summer of broken hearts. They had bonded literally over it. He would really miss their junk food feasts while they watched bad horror movies. They had usually dissed the bad acting, the overreacting actors and the even worse story. " Michael was like that, too. Just that we couldn´t comfort him with food. He was always looking for some sign that we weren´t alone and everything that appeared weird or strange could be from the spaceship. Isabel was the only one able to keep him under control".

Isabel shook her head sadly, knowing the only reason she had been able to not get Michael in too much trouble was the oldest trick in the books, which meant she started telling him that she was afraid that something would happen to him and she didn´t want to lose him mixed the whole thing with a little getting teary eyed and that was it. " I wish I would have that power of him. The only one really able to have some control over him had been Maria".

" They had been a strange couple and yet they seemed like a match made in hell. I never saw two people so like und unlike each other. Everyday I wondered what would happen with them. One thing is for sure, it was never boring", Alex wished he could hear them bicker like they always did, fighting about something trivial.

In that moment the bell over the door started ringing and a couple entered the restaurant, looking slightly worse for wear with damaged clothes and wounds covering every visible piece of free skin and seemingly in the middle of an argument. They didn´t even realize that they were indoors or that a whole booth of people was watching them like they were all seeing a ghost.

Alex instantly thought that it was his doing and he wished for a million dollar. Unfortunately nothing happened and he was sure that they were probably all having a mass halluzination. " I´m losing my mind".

" Thanks guys for waiting for us. We had to tramp all the while back from the desert with some UFO freak, who wanted to get us hospitalized", Michael glared at them all, finally realizing that he wasn´t alone with Maria anymore. He was in no good mood and he wanted them to know it.

Maria rolled her eyes while she pushed past her boyfriend and sat at the next booth to her friends. She was tired, hungry and she needed a shower, but she was glad that she was home again and that mattered to her the most right now, that and a few hours in her own bed with nothing to worry about than to get rest. " Keep it down, spaceboy. I have enough of your grumpy mood for today".

Michael gave her an annoyed look but shut his mouth and followed her lead. She was right, which didn´t happen to often, he was wasted and he shouldn´t waste his energy on getting angry. He could still do that tomorrow and maybe the day after that as well. Glancing at the others, he was confused why they were still staring at them in awe. " What´s wrong? Did you lose your voices? Hello!".

" We thought you were dead".

Maria took a few napkins out of the holder and wiped the dirt from her hands. She knew that she would need water to get everything off, but that meant she had to move and she was too tired to do that. She felt like a bus had crashed on her and her body would probably need a few days to recover. " Obviously we´re not. Although it had looked pretty bad for a while, because Han Solo over there didn´t listen to me".

Michael lounged in his seat besides his girlfriend, not caring that he just got dissed. He would take the blame like always; it would spare him the trouble of getting into a fight with her. It would take him a week to get back into his old self and recharge his batteries. But then Maria should look out, because then he would take revenge for every insult. " Yeah, it´s my fault, nothing new there. Is there anything edible here, I´m starving".

" You´re hungry?", Liz didn´t know what to do. She wanted to wrap her arms around her best friend and squeeze the hell out of the girl, but she was afraid that she was dreaming or that it was just a trick her mind was playing her.

Maria saw the uncertainty in her best friend's eyes and she knew that everyone else was just as carefully. They did surely not believe what they were seeing or else they would have already said something. " We´re really alive and we´re real".

Alex was the first one to get to his feet and walk towards the two people who had been assumed dead. Stretching his arm out he was surprised when he felt Maria´s arm. As soon as he was sure that she was really there with them he embraced her, tears streaming down his face, but this time it were happy tears. " Don´t do that to me again".

" It´s okay, I´m fine. Everything is over", Maria patted his back, crying softly. They had been lucky in the mine, damn lucky; it could have been easily different. Kivar wasn´t afraid to die, but he wanted to make sure to take them with him in the afterlife. Thankfully Michael wasn´t so defensless either and they had managed to find shelter in some hole that had safed their lifes.

That got everyone in action as well. They all went to their friends and more tears were shed, hugs were giving and words of love spoken. It was just a bundle of arms and bodies, tangled into another. It took the booming voice of Michael to let them all step back from them and give them space to breathe.

But now that they were all curious what happened and how they had managed to escape the cave in. They were bombarding their friends with questions and more questions. Maria wasn´t in any shape to endure a full interrogation and let Michael talk his way out of this.

" I will explain everything tomorrow, right now I just want to eat, have a shower and sleep through. Just one thing, Kivar is dead, we´re all alive and for the moment we´re safe".

Maria snuggled against her boyfriends shoulder, feeling her eyelids getting really heavy. The only thing keeping her from sleeping was her grumbling stomach. She started smiling when she felt a strong arm winding its way around her middle and caressing her side. Yep, they were safe for now. " Until the next crisis strikes again, but hopefully when I´m on vacation".

Alex was happy to see that his best friend hadn´t lost any of her dry humor, even though she just cheated death, which was reminding him that he wanted to ask her how she had done that and why Mike had disappered like that if she hadn´t died. " Okay just one more thing. What happened to Mike and how did you manage to just vanish?".

" He changed the present and is probably back in the future", Maria put a hand on her stomach where her boy was resting. Seconds later she felt Michael´s hand on hers, both of them sharing the feeling of their child. She was so glad that he wasn´t a normal baby or she would have been dead by now. " I´m pregnant with an alien child, so that means I´ve got some of his powers, which in return means that I can shift".

Liz was already thinking about a project, testing Maria´s blood and finding out what happened contrary to a human pregnancy. She would take notes and see if it was even possible for them to procreate with aliens at all. Maybe someday she and Max would take that step as well and she wanted to be prepared. " Are you okay".

Maria smiled at her friend. She wasn´t alright, not by a long shot, but she would recover and that mattered the most. Glancing at Max, Isabel and Tess she wondered if they were still angry at her for playing them like that. " Are we good again?".

All three of them exchanged a look with each other before they turned to her and nodded their heads. They couldn´t be mad at her for saving them all and saving Michael, in the end she came through and that was what counted in their books.

" Okay, I don´t want to be a diva, but could any of you get me something to eat before I started getting nasty!".

Kyle chuckled at Michael and he was sure that no one wanted to see the commander getting pissed off. Jumping to his feet and taking Tess with him, in case there would be some blast getting thrown around; he stalked off towards the kitchen to look for something edible.

" I´ll look for some clean clothes you can borrow", Liz stood up from the booth and made her way up the stairs to her bedroom, Max closely behind her, probably hoping to have a word or two with her while they were searching for something they could give their friends.

Alex and Isabel watched for the couple for a moment, witnessing something that was new and wonderful. Both were talking in hushed whisper with each other, holding hands and looking at the other like a blind man seeing the sun for the first time. Feeling like they were intruding in a private moment they decided to get something cool to drink.

A few minutes later, everyone was standing in front of their booth, staring in awe at the picture of Michael and Maria sleeping peacefully in each others arms. Their faces were childlike and happy, like nothing had happened the last few days. Keeping quiet the others left them to rest, knowing they had earned the right to do that.

For now they were all safe and tomorrow was a new day.


	27. Chapter 27

**Epiloque**

**20 Years in the future**

Mike opened his eyes and he was prepared for everything, from heaven to hell and everything in between. But what he didn´t expect was to find out he was lying on a bed in a room that looked like it belonged to him. Glancing around, he noticed posters with bands and bikes hanging on the walls and another bed at the other side of the room. Standing up he saw a stereo system with something that appeared like it was the TV attached to a game console. Touching everything he tried to get a feel for this place. Recognizing a photo standing on the desk in the corner he went there and took it. A loud gasp escaped him when he realized who was in it. There was his Mom, Dad and three other children, two girls and a boy.

" Hey Damon, you have to get up, man. I don´t want to be late to Lit again".

Mike turned to the voice and he was surprised about the guy that was obviously living here, too, wherever here was. Staring at him for a bit longer, he knew that he should probably remember the name of his roommate, but he felt like he was in the twilight zone. And then why was he calling him by another name? " Where am I and who are you?".

The guy smiled at him like he had expected that question already. Maybe something like that had happened before and this was nothing unusual. " You´re funny. I know that you got drunk last night, but we don´t have time for your jokes right now. Get a move on, we still have to be in Lit in twenty minutes".

" Hey I´m not joking, I´m serious", Mike rubbed his head, trying to make him remember anything that was indicating what was going on here. If he would be dead, wouldn´t he exactly know where he was? Wouldn´t there be clouds and angels or something? But this was disturbing normal and he felt slightly paranoid.

His roommate´s expression turned instantly. Walking towards him, he cupped the other boy´s face to make sure that his friend hadn´t hurt himself last night at the party. It had been too wild for him and he had left earlier, so he didn´t know what happened afterwards. " Are you okay? Did someone slip you something?".

Mike didn´t feel comfortable with the proximity of another guy, even if it seemed like they were friends, but that was probably the freaky caution thing he still had from his life with Kivar. " I don´t know, I just woke up and I can´t remember anything aside from my parents".

" Okay, I´m Ryan and we´re roommates for two years now. We live in a dorm room at Berkley", he saw the photo in the other guy´s hand and pulled it out of his grip to point at the two girls in it. " The girl on the left is your sister Kayla and the one on the right is your other sister Lana".

Mike was in awe about the knowledge that he had two sisters and he finally realized that he had changed the other timeline and he was now in another reality. Smiling brightly, he felt like he just won the jackpot. He had a real family this time and he couldn´t be happier about it. " What day is it?".

Ryan shook his head, wondering what was wrong with his friend this morning. He was weirder than usual and that was hard to believe after everything happening so far. " Friday".

" Okay, tell the prof I´ve got a family thing", Mike snatched a jacket, hoping that it was his and stormed out of the room. He ran past other people, a few were greeting him and other just stared at him like he was crazy. Three girls were even throwing kisses at him with their hands, but he didn´t care about that.

Finally finding the exit he stopped at the parking spot, not knowing if any of these cars was his or if he even had a car at all. Rummaging in the pockets of the jacket, he found keys for a Ford. Pushing the clicker he was stunned to see the lights flare of an older model of a mustang. Not wasting more time he jumped inside and started the car. Speeding down the road he remembered that he had no clue to where he had to go, he didn´t know where he lived and which state his parents were.

Searching for his passport or any other paper that could give him a hint what he missed, he breathed a sigh of relief when he found his driver licence in his glove compartment. Reading it, he learned that his name was really Damon, Damon Guerin and he was living in Berkeley. Finally knowing where he had to go he accelerated a little more.

The house that awaited him took his breath away and he wondered for a moment if he had the right adresse. There was no way his family was in there. It wasn´t really a house, it was a mansion, one of those old buildings that just existed in movies. Getting out of the car, he went up the driveway, slowly and slightly nervous.

" Hey dogface, I thought you had a lecture this morning and a date with Molly so you were coming tomorrow?".

Mike turned to the person having talked to him and he startled when he looked at the younger version of his mother, except for the brown eyes. That was obviously his sister Kayla. " I thought I needed time with the family".

Kayla laughed while she flipped her blonde hair over her shoulder and made her way to the garage. " Lana, get your ass in gear. I don´t want to be late to school again".

" Don´t fret K, I´m already there", seconds later a brown haired, green eyed girl ran past him, almost pushing him over. She smiled at him and waved her hand, but then she disappeared in the garage as well.

Mike massaged his temples, knowing that a headache was coming and that was something he didn´t want to have right now. Walking in the house, he glanced at the decoration, the pictures and he instantly knew that his mother had done most of the work. He felt like he was at a place that was filled with love and it warmed him to know that he was living here.

Losing himself in the pictures hanging around the wall of the den, he was glad that he went back intot he past and interfered. His mother had finally the life she deserved and he had the family he had always wished for, even if that meant two annoying little sisters.

" I thought you were coming tomorrow?".

Mike whirled around and he saw his mother. She was older, looking more like grandma Amy, but still beautiful. Her hair was short, just reaching her shoulders and there were small crinkle in her face. Not caring that he didn´t behave like a twenty year old boy should, he threw his arms around her. " I missed you so much".

Maria stroked his back, a little confused about the greeting. Hadn´t he told her that he was too old for that kind of affection? But she enjoyed the hug from her son, being glad that he decided to come home sooner. " We saw each other on Tuesday".

" It felt like a lifetime to me", Mike squeezed his mother so tight that he was afraid to hurt her, but it felt so right to be in her arms again. For the first time he knew that he had done the right thing by going back in time, even though he had risked his life. But seeing her so happy and healthy, he knew that it had been worth it.

Maria wondered what was wrong with her son, he wasn´t so emotional in her presence. The last time he had hugged her like that had been when he went to college to start studying for his dream to become a lawyer. Pushing him slightly away from her she cupped his face to look closely at him. " What´s going on? Did you and Molly have a fight?".

Mike shook his head, hating to see worry in her eyes. He had witnessed that look too many times and he had promised to never put it in there again. " No, I just wanted to see you".

" Honey, do you know where I put my tool box?".

Mike turned around and saw his father walking towards them. His very old Metalllica T-shirt was covered in streaks of paint and the jeans he was wearing were probably older than the shirt with more holes than material, but it was still his Dad just with shorter hair and slightly older. " Dad!", with that he stormed in the direction of the older man and wrapped his arms around him.

Michael exchanged a confused glance with his wife, but she only shrugged her shoulders. She was just as much in the dark about the strange behaviour than him. Patting his son´s back, he was really curious what was going on today. First his daughter and her wish to date some bad boy wannabe, then his other daughter who wanted to dress like some pop princess and now his son. " What´s going on, Damon?".

" Can´t a son show his parents how much he loves them?", Mike had to get used to be called a different name, hopefully he could manage that really soon, it was creeping him out to live a life he didn´t know. Catching his reflection in the mirror besides him, he jumped back from his father and stared at the reflection with shock. The person gazing back was not him or how he remembered he looked. Another thing he had to get used to, his different appearance, now he resembled his father just with the eyes of his mother.

Maria didn´t have any special powers anymore, but she could sense that something was not right at this picture. Sharing a silent communication with her husband, they both came to the same conclusion, there was definitely something going on. " Okay, why don´t you tell us the real reason for coming here?".

Mike was amazed that a few things didn´t change at all, his mother was still noticing when he was lying. Sighing, he thought it was better to get it over with before he was getting in more trouble by acting all clueless. " I woke up in a strange room and I didn´t know where I was and who I was. I saw the picture of our family and I had to find out what´s going on".

" What do you mean? You didn´t know where you were or who you were? Have you been drinking? Didn´t I tell you what happened the last time I had an encounter with alcohol?" Michael was worried, he had known that it was a mistake to let his son live in that dorm rooms at college. The boy would just learn the wrong things or met the wrong people and then he would drift in the wrong direction.

Maria grasped her son´s hand and pulled him in the protection of her arms. Her husband was very protective of his children and he wanted to have them under his surveillance twenty four hours, especially after the fiasco with the men in black fifteen years ago. " Why don´t you tell us everything from the start. I will make a breakfast while you talk".

Mike smiled at the prospect of something to eat. In all the hurry to find out where he was he had forgotten that it had been a long time that he had gotten any food in his stomach, at least the last time he could remember eating. " Sounds great".

" Okay, then let´s go", leading her son towards the kitchen, she called over her shoulder to her husband. " The tool box is in the garage. Kayla needed something for her car".

Michael instantly followed them; like he wanted to miss that conversation. The damaged bureau could wait until he knew that was going on. Besides he should let Kayla do the repairing, after all it was her fault that he lost control over his powers when she told him that she had a boyfriend and he was driving on a death machine, listened to Heavy Metal and had his own apartment. No daughter of him would date such a loser.

Maria should have known that her husband was noisy. She just hoped that he would fix her bureau today, she loved that piece and he had broken it in his rage. It wasn´t her daughter´s fault that she had the same taste in men like her mother. " Okay so, I´m all ears. Explain your weird behaviour".

" Can you remember the day in the mine? You know the fight with Kivar?".

Michael immediately knew what was happening. He hadn´t experience it himself but Max had told him a lot about it. It wasn´t so unusual that people having done that would have slightly problems with their memory, but that would pass by at some point. " I see, you just came back from a time travel and you woke up in a different reality. No problem son, by tomorrow you won´t remember anything from that or that other timeline".

Mike breathed out in relief, although he would miss to have the memory of his parents as teenagers. But if that meant he would live the life he always wanted, then he would take the trade any day. Besides there was so much bad things he would rather forget that it would be good that they would be gone as well. " Okay, until I know everything again, you can tell me what I missed so far and start with the mine".

" We got out as you can see, no thanks to your Dad", Maria put a plate with eggs and bacon in front of her son, ruffled his hair and sat besides him. Feeling her husband pinching her side, she slapped his hands away and gave him a glare. " The truth hurts, eh Spaceboy?"

Michael smiled sweetly before he attacked her. Using his long learned skilled, he pulled her out of her seat and onto his lap to tickle her, not so much like he wanted because she was in a delicate state again, but just enough to get his point across to her. She just couldn´t mock him and expect to get away with it. " As much as I can remember I dug a way out of the soil and you didn´t do anything".

Maria finally managed to get his hands away from her and stop poking her bloated stomach. She hated that no matter how many diets she made, a few pounds from her pregnancies remained and now that she was pregnant again it would probably be a little bit more. But as long as she didn´t look like a whale she didn´t mind. Besides a small amount of the pounds had been put on her breasts and Michael loved it. " You are so much stronger than me, I would have just been in your way".

" Yeah like I believe that", Michael rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to his son, who had stopped eating to watch the show and for just a tiny second he felt bad for not behaving. They always tried to keep it down when the kids were there, but he couldn´t keep his hands away from his wife, especially when she was pregnant. " Sorry, you probably don´t want to see this".

Mike didn´t feel embarrassed, it was just the opposite. He could watch them like that for hours. It was such a contrast to the way he had grown up with Kivar as his father and his mother looking more like a corpse than a human being. " Don´t stop on my account".

Maria put her hand on the one lying besides his plate and squeezed it. She still remembered their conversations and she knew that this would be such a relief to him after his life with that monster. " Okay, where were we? Oh yeah, the mine. After your father dug us out of our prison, we had to face something more dangerous than a sardistic would be king".

" The wrath of a tiny woman called Amy. Your grandmother almost made you into an only child and I swear I was never so afraid in my life".

Mike could really picture it and some pictures from his childhood flashed in his mind. There were about Grandma Amy and him. She had pulled his ears and scolded him for teasing his little sisters. She was waving her finger at him and her eyes were blazing dangerously at him, although it wasn´t in anger, but rather to show him who was in charge. " Oh yeah, that sounds like her".

Maria made a face at her boys. They made her mother sound like the boogeyman, but in reality she was the kindest woman she knew. It wasn´t her mom´s fault that she was so overprotective of her first born. " Be glad that my Dad had hid the gun or else she would have shot you; You´re lucky that it was just a newspaper".

" The newspaper of doom", Michael said mockingly, shuddering at the thought that he got beat up with it twice in his life. If he wouldn´t love Amy to death and respect her, he would have already done something against it, but so he had endured her tirades like a man and whined later to his wife about it.

Maria pinched his thigh, wondering how long he would beat that dead horse. It was just a newspaper and not some nuclear weapon or had been able to hurt him at all. He was such a douchebag sometimes. " Don´t listen to him, I think my mother had done a little damage in his head, although I think he had always been this whiney, just hiding it better than anyone".

Michael had finally enough of her dissing him all the time, pregnant or not he would take revenge on her. Pulling her deeper into his body he put his mouth on her neck and made some disgusting sucking noises, tickling her skin there with his tongue and making her squirm in his lap. " I´m not whiney, take it back!".

" No, stop it! You know that I´ve got a weak bladder right now. I´ll pee on you, I swear Michael".

That stopped him immediately; having made that experience already and he had no desire of a repeat. Leaning back in his seat, he sulked visibly for getting his fun ruined. Usually they had a little tryst this time with all the kids gone and now they had to control themselves, which made him a little crankier. " Fine, I´ll keep my mouth shut and let you do the talking, like always".

Maria whirled around and glared with a dangerous glint at him. But instead of responding to it like she did most of the time, she stuck her tongue out and turned her attention back to her son. Spaceboy would see where it got him; on the couch alone and with no bedding. " Don´t you remember anything from this life?".

" Bits and pieces, but nothing that makes sense right now", Mike recalled a blonde girl that had some resemblance to his Aunt Isabel kissing him, a few birthday´s with alien themed parties, pictures from his sisters. But it was all still vague and he didn´t know in what relation they were standing. " How come we live in Berkley? And why did you name me Damon?".

Michael looped his arms around his wife´s middle and massaged her growing belly, where the kids number four and five were resting. Even after all this time it was still hard for him to talk about the worst two years of his life, aside from his time with Hank. He was glad that it was over and done with and his family was safe again. " The FBI got a lead on us, two years after the incident with the mine. Liz got a premonition about our deaths and we bailed town. Max got almost shot, Liz lost her baby, Isabel and Alex got separated and your mother barely escaped the white room with you and I destroyed their hidden base accidently".

Mike couldn´t believe it; as harmonic their life was now as hectic it had been then. Thankfully he had been too little to remember anything. " But everyone is okay?".

" Yeah. Max and Liz live in Cambridge with your cousins Stephan and Sam, two Harvard Professors and their Harvard offspring. Alex and Isabel met up in New Orleans and they´re touring through America right now, you know your uncle is pretty popular Rock Star and your Aunt is managing him since she´s too old to be a model", that earned him a slap to his shoulder from his wife. Isabel wasn´t old, just in the world of models she was an end-of-range model. " Grandpa Jim has his own investigation company in Carlsbad, Tess and Kyle are working for him and Grandma Amy is teaching first graders. Oh and your Aunt Rachel just got into High school".

Mike slowly started to get his memory back and it was nice to know where he belonged and who was who. Rachel was grandma Amy´s daughter with Jim; she was born when he was six. So many things he could recall, his sisters, his friends and his girlfriend Molly, who was the daughter of Isabel and Alex, who lived in the dorm room opposite his housing. His two best friends were Jasper and Alice, Kyle´s and Tess´ twins. " I remember it, but what´s with my new name?"

Maria knew that it was her turn to explain that, because it had been her idea to give him the name. Kayla and Lana was from Michael, but Damon was all her, but she wasn´t the only one naming her child after a character from a show. Tess named her children after two vampires from a novel, Isabel took the name of her favorite actress from the 80´s, Liz took it from her favorite vampire and Max from his favorite character from a show. " I watched Vampire Diaries with your Aunt Liz and we talked about who was hotter. As you can see I like the tough guys and so it´s not a secret that I was really into Damon. When I thought about that name for you, because I thought Mike didn´t fit anymore, it sounded too much like your Dads, you kicked me pretty hard and that was like an affirmation for me".

" I was named after a Vampire dude? Well I can live with that".

Maria smiled at him. So much time had passed and she was still in awe how big her heart had grown to include so many people in her life. She couldn´t remember a time when she had felt better or fuller of energy. " Be glad, your father wanted to name you Hetfield or Lars".

Michael had enough of the verbal beating. Besides he had to repair the bureau before he had to work a little at his paintings. His next vernissage was looming in the horizont and he needed more than one painting show the people. " That´s my cue to get to work. The bureau doesn´t fix itself", standing up, he carefully put his wife on the spot he vacated and gave her a kiss on her cheek.

" I´m going to help you Dad", Mike had finished his plate and jumped to his feet. Following his father´s example, he kissed his mother and thanked her for the tasty meal before trailing after the older version of him.

Michael put his arm around his son´s shoulder and pulled him close. Maybe Damon could help him with his latest dilemma. He would need every input to make his daughter turn into the nice girl who thought that boys had some disgusting disease. " Cool, then you can tell me how we can prevent your sister from going out with this Billy Guy".

Maria watched after them with a smile on her face. It increased when she saw her son shaking his head and saying " Hell no". Poor Kayla with those overprotective males in her life. Thankfully she still had her mother who would do everything to make the first date of her daughter a success and if she had to pull all of her weapons at the same time. Rubbing her belly she wondered what she had done to deserve so much happiness in her life. Hoping that it would stay like this for a long time, she began to clean the kitchen.

The End


End file.
